Attorney for Chicago officer may seek new venue

Jason Van Dyke, the white Chicago police officer charged last month in the death of a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, has been formally indicted on seven counts related to the fatal October 2014 shooting.

During his bond hearing last month, prosecutors told the judge Van Dyke opened fire just six seconds after exiting his police vehicle as McDonald was holding a knife in the middle of 41st Street and Pulaski Road shortly before 10 p.m. It was not until uproar over the video of McDonald being shot 16 times as he apparently walked away from the police that the federal Department of Justice launched an investigation of civil rights issues in the city’s police department.

At a news conference in front of police headquarters, Richard Wooten said the group also wants the department to rescind recent promotions because “we can no longer trust” Mayor Rahm Emanuel and interim Police Superintendent John Escalante and others who run the department.

Van Dyke previously spent almost a week in custody after being arrested on first-degree murder charges on November 30, but has since been released on $1.5 million bond. He faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of official misconduct in 17-year-old Laquan McDonald’s death.

Friday’s hearing in a Cook County criminal court follows Jason Van Dyke’s indictment by a grand jury earlier this week.

Van Dyke’s attorney would have to convince a judge the officer could not be granted a fair trial in Chicago.

As Van Dyke was exiting the courthouse, his attorney, Daniel Herbert, told reporters he was considering seeking a change of venue out of Cook County for the officer’s trial.

“There needs to be accountability for the injustices happening throughout the Chicago Police Department and our justice system”, said Maria Moser, a resident of the south-side suburb of Beverly, who attended the march with her brother.

Emanuel has responded to the criticism by firing his handpicked police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, and replacing the head of the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates police misconduct.

“In a big city like Chicago, where you have a large jury pool, the probability is pretty good that you can seat an unbiased jury”, Allen said. The email is community.cpd@usdoj.gov.

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.