On October 5th, 2018, former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and second-degree murder for killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.  Van Dyke was found not guilty of official misconduct. This comes nearly four years after Van Dyke was involved in the fatal shooting, and three after the controversial dashcam footage of the incident was made public after being covered up by the Chicago Police Department.

On October 20th, 2014, police responded to reports of McDonald behaving erradictingly and carrying a knife, and arrived at the scene. When the police arrived, they instructed McDonald to drop the knife, and McDonald walked away from police. While McDonald was walking away, Van Dyke shot McDonald, who fell to the ground, still holding the knife. While McDonald was on the ground, he was shot another 15 times by Van Dyke.  McDonald was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

The initial police report said the killing was justified, and no legal action was taken. However, when the footage of the incident was released, it showed that McDonald was clearly walking away from the office. Subsequently, Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder to be released on bail soon after.

Protests over McDonald’s murder continued in Chicago months after the video emerged, with protesters blocking highways, marching through the streets, and boycotting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Breakfast, hosted by the mayor. Protesters attest that McDonald was dealt with so violently on account of his race and criticized the Chicago Police Depart with widespread accusations of excessive force and lack of proper training of police.

In March 23, 2017 Van Dyke was charged again, on 6 counts of first degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot at McDonald. The trial commenced in September of 2018, and many Chicagoans are relieved by the verdict, though others feel as though the punishment should’ve been harsher.