On Tuesday, three officers involved in the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald were indicted on three felony counts: conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice. None of the officers pulled the trigger that killed McDonald on October 20, 2014 in Chicago’s South Side. Instead, they are accused of intentionally shielding the man who is charged with McDonald’s murder, Officer Jason Van Dyke.

According to the indictment, Detective David March and patrol officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney provided a misleading report after the shooting. Detailing the events that led Van Dyke to shoot and kill McDonald, the officers said the teenager wielded a knife and was aggressively approaching the officers, slashing his blade in their direction.

Three current or former Chicago police officers indicted in Laquan McDonald case https://t.co/fom5AeCmki pic.twitter.com/NKwFTBzbOu

— CNN (@CNN) June 27, 2017

But about a year after the shooting, in November 2015, the Chicago Police Department released dashcam footage that contradicted the officers’ report. In the video, McDonald appears to be holding a knife, but is clearly staggering away from the officers. Shots ring out and McDonald falls to the pavement, as Van Dyke continues to fire his weapon. In all, 16 shots were fired. The video, which sparked massive protests across Chicago, ultimately led to the dismissal of Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy.

“These defendants lied about what occurred during a police-involved shooting in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth,” said Patricia Brown Holmes, the special prosecutor who announced the charges on Tuesday.

The indictment said that the three men were aware that a “public airing” of the shooting and the video “would inexorably lead to a thorough criminal investigation by an independent body and likely criminal charges.” The charges also said March, a detective with over three decades of experience, “failed to locate, identify, and preserve physical evidence” of the crime, “including video and photographic evidence.”

The three officers also allegedly conspired together to avoid interviewing three witnesses that would have conflicted with Van Dyke’s account of his encounter with McDonald. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in 2015; he pleaded not guilty, and there is no trial date set at this point. March, Walsh, and Gaffney are scheduled to be arraigned on July 10. If convicted, they could face over ten years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

In the Obama Administration’s last months in office, officials conducted an investigation into the CPD. The findings were announced just days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The Justice Department found a pattern of racial discrimination within the CPD, and said the department “engages in a pattern or practice of using force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Chicago erupted into protests Tuesday night following the release of video footage showing the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer. Hundreds marched through the streets of Chicago’s loop, clogging intersections and chanting “16 shots” in reference to the total number of shots fired into 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van-Dyke.

The protests were relatively peaceful in comparison to the violent unrest that unfolded in Ferguson and Baltimore, however, there were five arrests related to incidents of resisting arrest and assaulting police officers. According to CNN, the city had been preparing for protests after a judge ruled the video must be released no later than Wednesday. Freelance journalist Brandon Smith filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department over the summer to make the footage public.

The dashboard cam footage captured police as they responded to a call of a man wielding a knife on October 20, 2014. In the video, when the police car filming the incident arrives on scene, McDonald is seen walking away from police in the middle of a street with the apparent knife in hand. Then seconds later you see him spin around and fall to the ground after being shot, despite never seeming to threaten officers. Van-Dyke, who was reportedly the only officer to fire shots at him, then continued to fire shots at the teen while he was lying on the ground. According to the coroner’s autopsy report, only two out of the 16 shots could be linked to when McDonald was standing.

@HildebrandtSam: Autopsy diagram for Laquan McDonald released by Cook County Med Examiners Office #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/05p4GY5pS3

— Sam Hildebrandt (@HildebrandtSam) November 24, 2015

You can watch a portion of the video footage below.

Warning: Contains Graphic Material

Officer Van-Dyke, 37, turned himself into the authorities early Tuesday and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of McDonald. According to Vox, civilians have filed a total of 18 complaints against him since 2001, but he was never disciplined. He is currently being held without bond, and claims he fired his gun “in fear of his own life.” But news of the officer’s arrest didn’t stop hundreds of people from flooding Chicago’s streets in protest.

Here are some photos of last night’s protests shared on Twitter.

#LaquanMcDonald Eisenhower Expressway blockage pic.twitter.com/hpYDUHFMm1 — Sam Charles (@samjcharles) November 25, 2015

I wonder if he ever dreamed he’d see his name in lights. Certainly not like this. Rest in power, #LaquanMcDonald. pic.twitter.com/RuALBuahZE — Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 25, 2015

Activists march thru Loop after release of #LaquanMcDonald shooting video. Brief scuffles, mainly peaceful. pic.twitter.com/tuIvL3ubXT — The Chicago Reporter (@ChicagoReporter) November 25, 2015

Aerial view of Chicago protesters blocking traffic on I-290 via @ABC #LaquanMcDonald. Live: https://t.co/e7ex0g3Qip pic.twitter.com/Ddp5nfoRsf — Brittany Levine (@brittanylevine) November 25, 2015

Prominent Chicago activist and protest organizer Malcolm London, 22, was one of the five people arrested during the protests. He is being charged with one count of felony assault, after police say he hit an officer in the 100 block of East Balbo Avenue near Grant Park. As a result #FreeMalcolmLondon was trending nationally on Wednesday as people called for his release.

.@MalcolmLondon calls for the firing of police superintendent Garry McCarthy. #LaquanMcDonald pic.twitter.com/42MDpQ0lp2 — Kelly Hayes (@MsKellyMHayes) November 25, 2015

The city is currently bracing for more protests as backlash over the footage ramps up. As for the McDonald family, the Chicago city council awarded them a $5 million settlement in April over his death. Now they are urging Chicagoans to react peacefully instead of resorting to violence.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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