Man in custody following threats tied to Van Dyke trial, police say

Jason Van Dyke killed 17-year-old LaQuan McDonald on the 4100 blocks of South Pulaski Road in Chicago, Illinois on October 20, 2014.

Van Dyke listened silently as the verdict was read, taking a swig from a water bottle at one point.

In a statement Chicago cardinal Blase Cupich appealed for protesters to remain peaceful, declaring “hate has no place” in the city.

The shooting sparked a nationwide outcry.

Dyke became the first Chicago police officer convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting in almost 50 years.

Officer Van Dyke faces up to life in prison, and the judge revoked his bond after the jury delivered its verdict.

Another possibility is that the defense will ask, under complicated legal rules, for the judge to merge the crimes for which Van Dyke is convicted for sentencing purposes since they were all tied to a single event, Mr. Greenberg said.

Make no mistake about Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan: He is in charge of Van Dyke’s trial.

The family of Laquan McDonald spoke to media following the announcement of the Van Dyke verdict Friday afternoon at Grace Memorial Church, saying the verdict “was a victory for everyone”.

Prosecutors stressed that Van Dyke was the only officer to ever fire a shot at McDonald.

The shooting was captured on a grainy police dashcam video. Police said he was holding a knife. McDonald was pronounced dead at hospital.

What happened at the trial?

“I’m really happy”, Curtis said, “I really felt like if they had returned a not-guilty verdict I would have burst into tears immediately”.

“[His] eyes were bugging out”.

“I could see him starting to push up with his left hand off the ground”. I could see the pain in these people.

During the trial, Mr Van Dyke was still a member of the Chicago Police Department, though he was suspended without pay pending the outcome.

An investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority found that the officers reported Cross had brandished and fired a gun at them, but the investigation also revealed that the firearm found at the scene was inoperable.

Surveillance footage of the incident showed Van Dyke appeared to shoot McDonald while the younger man was walking away from the officer.

The city had expected protests to ensue should the verdict clear Van Dyke’s name, though it looks like they’ll only have to contend with celebrations now.

After the footage was released in November 2015, Emanuel ousted his police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, who later said he was a fall guy and is now running for mayor.

But prosecutors say it’s the right result and justice has been done.

Mr. Van Dyke was charged in 2015 when protests against police brutality were sweeping the nation, putting pressure on prosecutors to act.

Groups of demonstrators took to the streets for several hours after the verdict, chanting, “The people united will never be defeated”, and “Sixteen shots and a cover up”. CPS announced that it wouldn’t punish students for participating in walkouts or protests, as long as they don’t exceed 30 minutes. “It’s like we have a mid-20th-century police department in a 21st-century city”. He added: “It shows a perspective, but it’s the wrong perspective”.

Police have been put on 12-hour shifts to bolster available numbers by up to 4,000 officers.

Authorities in Chicago were anxious that unrest might occur if a not guilty verdict came back. They gathered in front of the mayor’s home, on Lake Shore Drive and even on two lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway to call attention to police reform and what they charged was a cover-up from city hall.