The release of more information in regards to last October’s murder of Laquan McDonald has begun to create outrage in Chicago and in the black community. The surfacing of the official police report reveals that details around the fatal attack have been skewed and do not line up with what can be seen in the video captured at the shooting. The report is the first hand account of what went on that night according to the officer charged with the murder, Jason Van Dyke.
According to the police report, Laquan was armed with a knife and “raised the knife over his chest and over his shoulder, pointing the knife at Van Dyke”. The officer believed that Laquan was attempting to take his life. Van Dyke’s partner, Joseph Walsh, said that Laquan got within 12 to 15 feet of Van and “swung the knife at the officers in an aggressive manner”, contrary to the dash cam footage that shows Laquan walking away from the officers shortly before he was shot. On screen, you can plainly see that sixteen shots were fired at a non-aggressive Laquan McDonald who had his back turned to the camera. According to the police report, Van Dyke and Walsh listed themselves as the “victims” and the 17 year old Laquan the “offender”. The video shows Laquan dead on the ground from his wounds, yet the police report states that after being shot, Laquan tried to stand back up in an attempt to continue his accused plot to cause harm to the officers. Van Dyke also claims that the knife allegedly in Laquan’s possession was capable of firing a bullet.
With this information coming to light, there have calls for more protests in Chicago and throughout the United States. Rev. Jesse Jackson has come out to say, “If Jason was fired and charged, then the nine who saw it filed false reports should be fired and charged. We want the police culture cleaned up.”
Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to all accounts. According to Van Dyke’s attorney, the shooting was “justified” because Van Dyke felt threatened by a 17 year old boy. Van Dyke continues to make claims for his justification, saying that knives are deadly within 21 feet and that Chicago police has recently been warned about a “revolver knife” capable of firing .22-caliber rounds.
Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi released a statement Saturday, saying that all videos and the case report have been turned over to the federal government for investigation. The Justice Department is reviewing actions and statements of officers. According to Gugliemi, “swift action” will be taken if any wrongdoing is found.
