Mayor meeting with activists ahead of Laquan McDonald video release

The squad auto dashcam video is of Laquan McDonald, a black 17-year-old, being shot 16 times last year by a white police officer.

Ever since his death, McDonald’s family has been fighting for the release of dash cam footage allegedly showing the teen walking away from Van Dyke before the officer fires into his back from about 15 feet away.

“At the point which my client confronted Mr. McDonald, my client was aware of the fact that the individual (McDonald) had not complied with numerous police orders to drop the knife”, Herbert said.

Michael Robbins, the attorney for McDonald’s family said, “There was a narrative put out there by the Chicago police, by the Union initially that the police officer had to shoot him in self defense, that he was approaching the police officer and lunged at the police officer with a knife is not true”.

McDonald’s mother did not want the video released out of fear it could lead to protests like ones in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, that sometimes grew violent, according to one of her lawyers, Jeffrey Neslund.

Reports in the U.S. media said people who have seen the footage say the images are graphic and show Mr McDonald being repeatedly shot while lying on the ground.

Former federal prosecutor Phil Turner said Van Dyke could be charged with violating McDonald’s civil rights – a charge that, because the teen died, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A source close to the investigation believes a Chicago police officer who fatally shot a teenager previous year will be indicted on Tuesday.

But activists and attorneys countered that the public had a right to see the video, which was captured by a police vehicle dashboard camera.

“It is a very graphic video and it is disturbing”.

Media, the police and community leaders urged residents to demonstrate peacefully if the video moved them.

Roderick Sawyer, 6th, said the group of 18 aldermen had been invited to a City Hall sit-down with administration officials about the McDonald video. A spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

“This is a time where we’re going to have to, all of us collectively, exercise our leadership as a city and exercise the leadership in this city to provide the space for people to express themselves, how they feel, but do it in a civic, focused and peaceful way and not allow any type sense of protest to be anything but that”, Emanuel said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office issued a statement last week that criticised the officer.

A judge has ordered that the potentially inflammatory video be made public by Wednesday.

“He’s scared to death, but more than himself he’s scared for his wife, his two kids”, Herbert said of Van Dyke. “He knows in his heart of hearts that his actions were appropriate”.

Community activist William Calloway, who had pushed for release of the video, said his organisation Christianaire is contacting church leaders and asking them to prepare their congregations.

The city agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald’s family even before a lawsuit was filed.

Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama ruled last Thursday that the video must be released by November 25. Chicago leaders are trying to avoid the protests over police killings that have rocked a number of USA cities. “We all live here”, Angelo said.