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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 28 June 2017
3 Chicago police officers indicted in McDonald case

By MICHAEL TARM
DON BABWIN
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Three
Chicago police officers
were indicted Tuesday on
felony charges that they
conspired to cover up the
actions of a white police
officer who shot and killed
17-year-old Laquan Mc-
Donald, saying the officers
lied when they alleged the
black teenager “aggres-
sively” swung a knife at
officers and attempted to
get up from the ground still
armed after he was shot.
The indictment alleges
that one current and two
former officers lied about
the events of Oct. 20, 2014,
when Officer Jason Van Special prosecutor Patricia Brown-Holmes, right, speaks during a news conference Tuesday,
Dyke shot the teenager 16 June 27, 2017 in Chicago. Brown-Holmes announced that three Chicago police officers have
times. been indicted on felony charges that they conspired to cover up the actions of a white police
The officers’ narratives con- officer who shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
tradict what can be seen (AP Photo/G-Jun Yam)
on police dashcam video, Around the country, there
in which the teenager spins are renewed questions
after he was shot and falls whether the legal system
to the ground — seemingly is willing to punish officers,
incapacitated — as the of- particularly after two po-
ficer continues to fire shot lice officers — one in in Mil-
after shot into his body. waukee and the other in
The indictment further al- Minnesota — were acquit-
leges that officers lied ted and a mistrial was de-
when they said McDonald clared in Cincinnati in the
ignored Van Dyke’s verbal shootings of blacks that
commands and that one were captured by video.
of the officers signed off on The indictment alleges that
a report that claimed the the officers understood
other two officers were, in that, if video and other evi-
fact, victims of an attack dence became public, “it
by McDonald. would inexorably lead to a
“The co-conspirators cre- thorough criminal investi-
ated police reports in the gation by an independent
critical early hours and body and likely criminal
days following the killing charges.”
of Laquan McDonald that It details Walsh’s claim —
contained important false contradicted by the video
information,” says the in- — in which the officer con-
dictment in which the tends that, “When McDon-
three are charged with fel- ald got within 12 to 15 feet
ony counts of obstruction of the officers he swung the
of justice, official miscon- knife toward the officers
duct and conspiracy. in an aggressive manner
The video sparked massive and that as Van Dyke was
protests, cost the police shooting McDonald the
superintendent his job and teen continued moving
left the city scrambling to on the ground, attempting
implement reforms to re- to get up while still armed
gain shattered public trust. with the knife.”
In January, the Depart- According to the depart-
ment of Justice issued a ment, Walsh, who was Van
scathing report that found Dyke’s partner, and March,
that the department had who as a detective found
violated the constitutional that the shooting was jus-
rights of residents for years, tified, have left the force.
including by too often us- Gaffney remains but, per
ing excessive force and kill- department policy, has
ing suspects who posed no been suspended because
threat. of the felony indictment.q