Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson is calling for the immediate termination of seven officers involved in the shooting of Laquan McDonald, the 17-year-old Chicago teen killed back in 2014. Johnson said he wanted the officers fired because of the false reports made in the shooting, per the New York Times. The decision on his case comes almost two years later.
Officer Gary Van Dyke, the man who pulled the trigger, was charged with murder and is currently awaiting trial. Van Dyke told investigators that McDonald was walking toward him when he shot him and that story was corroborated by other officers at the scene. The dash cam, however, showed McDonald brandishing a knife but walking away from the officer at the time he was shot. Additionally, Officer Van Dyke continued to fire at McDonald and hit him 16 times despite the fact the teen was already subdued on the street.
Johnson’s decision is simply a recommendation and cannot be carried out unilaterally. While he was able to strip them of their police status, the officers are allowed to contest the action before the Police Board. Since the shooting, two officers from the incident have retired from the police force.
As of now, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has not responded to any requests for comment.
