Chicago officer formally indicted in fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald

A group of retired black Chicago Police officers are calling for the department to halt promotions and hiring until federal authorities complete an investigation launched in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting.

Van Dyke’s attorney Daniel Herbert reportedly did not comment on the indictment.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Van Dyke was indicted by a grand jury on six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct.

FILE – In this December 7, 2015 file photo, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, accompanied by Interim Chicago Police Superintendent John Escalante, responds to a question, during a news conference in Chicago. The teen was shot over 10 times after he fell to the ground.

McDonald was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer in 2014. “It is in our self-interest as a city that they’re here”, Emanuel said. The school’s leader, Tim King, was one of the people Emanuel named to the new board. He has called for systemic reform to bring safety to every community and rebuild trust where it has been lost. Unbeknownst to the public, police officers had visited a nearby Burger King whose security cameras had seemingly captured damning footage of the incident and, according to the manager, deleted it. Van Dyke wasn’t even named in the shooting, and the story caused only a small blip for the Chicago media.

A Chicago judge ordered the city to release video of the shooting in late November, more than a year after McDonald’s death.

The next week, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the Justice Department would pursue a “pattern and practice” investigation into the CPD’s policies and procedures regarding the use of force. The mayor also apologized for the shooting in an emotional speech. Are abuses widespread or isolated to a few rogue officers? But he says it’s not surprising officers are impacted by recent events.

A representative for the Justice Department was not immediately available for comment. He says two members of his administration flew to Washington, D.C., last week to meet with federal officials. The video showed McDonald moving away from the white officer. We’re going to fully cooperate, everybody.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to sit down with federal investigators Thursday on the second day of the Justice Department’s investigation of the Chicago Police Department.

Wednesday’s meetings in Chicago are most likely get-acquainted sessions. In coming months, investigators will talk to everyone from beat cops to residents who alleged police misconduct in their neighborhoods.