Federal officials finish meetings in Chicago

Van Dyke is due back in court Friday. The officer, Jason Van Dyke, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the October 2014 death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

The federal civil rights investigation is gathering steam just as the justice system is doing so against police officer Jason Van Dyke. Van Dyke shot the teen 16 times in a 2014 shooting captured on a squad auto video.

Defense attorney Dan Herbert says the noon hearing will be an opportunity for prosecutors to read the indictment. Officer Van Dyke is free on bond. An arraignment will be scheduled, likely within a few weeks. A Baltimore jury on Wednesday failed to reach a verdict on one of the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, resulting in a mistrial.

The video – released 13 months after the shooting – shows McDonald running down the middle of Pulaski Road near 41st Street when Van Dyke opens fire, hitting the teen 16 times.

Federal officials met Wednesday with Police Department leaders as part of what they described as completing “two days of introductory meetings”.

Justice Department officials also met this week with community members and organizations, as well as union representatives, the Justice Department said in a statement. Anyone with information can call (844) 401-3735 or email community.cpd@usdoj.gov.

Meanwhile, the charge came more than a year after the killing took place, representing the first time in 35 years that an on-duty Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder.

Emanuel initially characterized calls for a civil rights investigation as “misguided”, on top of the federal probe already being conducted into the McDonald case, but later pledged the city’s cooperation.

Investigators say they will look into how force is handled and investigated, how police officers are held accountable for their actions, and whether or not there are racial or ethnic disparities found in police use of force.

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