Officer in the Laquan McDonald shooting finally indicted in June, trial starts next week.
Sadly this will probably generate even more violence in Chicago before it’s over with.
Unlike most police shootings there seems to be very little to argue on the defense side.
It would be extremely hard to justify even the first shot, but after the shot that obviously transected McDonald’s spine and he hit the ground unable to move I cannot for the life of me see how they follow up shots were not anything other than attempt to commit cold blooded murder.
It’s sad that the Mayor and PD were able to carry on the cover up so long and I hope the young man’s family finally gets some justice and some peace.
Yep. When I saw the video, I thought…how did this kid pose a threat. There isn’t any audio but I don’t think that’s pertinent. Here’s the video but be warned…it’s very graphic.
Watch closely at 46 seconds. It looks to me like another shot was fired. What the ■■■■■
What’s amazing is that it has to take video to prove to some people what we’ve been saying for over 100 years…Now all of a sudden it’s “Oh my God, I cant believe it!”
It’s called “evidence”. People have been lying about these incidents for as long as they have been occurring.
Riots and murders have taken place because of those lies because people chose to use them and others choose to believe them because it suits their own agenda.
(CBS) — Here are the police reports, and supporting documentation, filed after Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 times. The narrative in the reports–that McDonald threatened Van Dyke–contradicts the video that shows McDonald walking away from the officer.
The video above doesn’t seem to have audio but I have seen several that did. It appears the first shot struck the kid in the chest and spun him around, the second or third transected his spine and at that point the threat was eliminated.
I can find no justification at all, whatsoever for any of the subsequent shots. Adrenaline doesn’t earn you a free pass.
Even the first shot itself would be hard to argue as being justified based on what’s publicly known. I haven’t for example found anywhere that Van Dyke was working off of a call suggesting McDonald had already harmed someone or that he was threatening to do so other than simply producing the knife.
I really can’t see how he avoids a conviction at least for 2nd if not 1st degree murder.
This wasn’t a self defense or defense of a third person, it started off as a questionable shooting at best and ended with an execution many shots later.
Yes, and that’s sad. And of course some deplorables will still not believe the video just to defend a cop. Haven’t see it here on this particular one but it will happen.
Meanwhile some lunatic in South Carolina just shot 7 or 8 officers, killing one, and was taken alive. I wonder what’s the difference between the two situations.
and 16 accounts of aggravated battery for each shot he shot into the 17 year old. About 13 of which were fired into an already dead youth. I have watched this case closely as I am about 45 minutes from Chicago. There is no way this could be called Justified in any way shape or form. It just doesn’t add up. There was no way it was necessary to shoot him 16 times. It just wasn’t necessary. I wish it never happened. It is something that for years has torn the City of Chicago apart.
The 2nd degree murder charge carries a 4 to 50 year sentence and the 16 counts of Aggravated Battery carry a sentence of 6 to 40 years. This highlights a larger issue in the city of Chicago. Officers are trained to take these measures. there has to be a better way of training them to deal with a subject like this.
I don’t want to see the police have a harder time doing their jobs. But I also don’t want to see people get killed either. PCP which LaQuan was high on at the time…is a messed up drug. He was not responsible for his actions at that time. I just wish there was a better outcome all around. Lives have been taken, lives have been ruined. Careers ended. We have to want better for our citizens and we have to expect better from our police officers.
I very seldom side against the cops on these things, but in this case when you look at the videos from dash camera…there really is no way around it. He didn’t need to shoot him and kill him.
Jury Foreman states that they never even approached the idea of acquittal. It was never on the table. The issue was 1st degree or 2nd degree murder. He was acquitted of misconduct. As he is a police officer and had the right to carry a fire arm, and fire his weapon to protect himself. They feel in his eyes he was in danger, but the reality of it was he was not in danger according to the Jury.
This is not my statements…this is what I am hearing the Jurors state in interviews live on the radio now.
Unless someone injected him with PCP against his will he is absolutely responsible for each and every action he took while high on it. Saying he isn’t is like saying a person isn’t responsible for driving after drinking, for beating their wife after drinking, etc.
That said, the shooting was unjustified. The first few shots are debatable when McDonald was still upright with the knife but after he was down and the officer continued to fire it became murder.
My God I said he was not responsible at that time. The time he was shot. You are not in control of yourself when you are high on Angel Dust. Yes he was responsible for taking the drugs. I don’t argue that. But that’s not what I said.
The defense was damaged greatly with testimony of a woman and a man who both said that he attacked them and they were able to fight him off. Van Dyke states he feared for his safety.
