Grand Jury To Hear Evidence Against Officers Involved In Laquan McDonald Shooting

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 12, 2016 4:48PM

A still from the Laquan McDonald dashcam video.

A grand jury will be convened to hear evidence against Chicago police officers whose testimony of the Laquan McDonald fatal shooting differs sharply from dashcam video evidence. Cook County Jude LeRoy Martin Jr. on Monday granted the request, which was made by special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes.

According to the Tribune, Holmes, a veteran lawyer and former Cook County judge, told reporters that a grand-jury inquiry represented the fairest option and that her ongoing investigation could yet spread beyond officers who were on the scene to include higher-ranking police brass. Judge Martin appointed Brown special prosecutor in July to investigate a possible police cover up of the McDonald shooting.

Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times in October 2014, but video was not released until over a year later, just hours after murder charges were filed against officer Jason Van Dyke. Release of the video led to widespread protest and an ongoing investigation by the Justice Department. The incident—and the long lag time between it and the video release—ratcheted up tension between Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Police Department and many local communities.

While Van Dyke faces murder charges, other officers who were present at the scene have not yet been charged with criminal wrongdoing. Late last month, Police Supt. Eddie Johnson filed administrative papers to fire five officers who were involved. Some officers reported that McDonald approached police while waving a knife, while video evidence appears to show McDonald backing away. The Inspector General in August recommended that 10 officers be disciplined or fired, three of whom have since retired or resigned.