More protests, more demands over McDonald shooting

The Chicago Reader: Does anyone really believe that Emanuel didn’t watch the McDonald video before it was released to the public?

Van Dyke was charged with murder and was released from jail after posting 10% of his $1.5 million bond.

The Tribune reports all the footage from 12 camera angles inside and outside the restaurant have a gap of about 80 minutes. And police have shot more than 50 people a year over the past seven years, significantly higher numbers for police shootings than in Los Angeles, New York City and Houston. In the video, one officer is sitting in front of the screen and another one is watching over.

Emanuel’s administration has been fighting the release of police video showing the shooting of Ronald Johnson, a 25-year old killed in October 2014.

Authorities said Johnson pointed a gun at police before an officer fatally shot him.

Police said Johnson had a gun and turned toward officers before being shot, while Oppenheimer said Johnson was unarmed.

The battle not only echoes the dispute over video of indicted officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, but is clearly impacted by it, with mounting pressure on Emanuel, police and Chicago’s top prosecutor. Sometimes, civilian cellphone video plays a role in prodding a city to release its own police video, as happened in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this year.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez revealed for the first time that the office is investigating possible criminal charges in Johnson’s case.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says a Department of Justice investigation of the Chicago police department would be “a good thing”.

“Hillary Clinton is deeply troubled by the shooting of Laquan McDonald and the outstanding questions related to both the shooting and the video”, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement.

The mayor: Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s former chief of staff, has come under widespread criticism over allegations that he has not pushed harder for reforms to Chicago’s police department.

Alvarez says she will not resign, despite calls for her to do so.

Mayor Emanuel said today his administration won’t fight the release of a dash-cam recording, which apparently shows an officer opening-fire on Ronald Johnson. The family has filed lawsuits against the city.

Ilana Rosenzweig, who led IPRA from its inception in 2007 until 2013, said her investigators conducted searches of an officer’s full record of complaints when they started an investigation, but they were limited in what they could get.

Messages left for police, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office and the state’s attorney weren’t immediately returned late Friday. Days after its release, with public fury still rising, Emanuel axed McCarthy. I trust the Department of Justice to make the right decision based on the facts and the law.

Michael Oppenheimer, an attorney for Johnson’s mother, Dorothy Holmes, on Thursday said he hasn’t been contacted by the city about the video’s release.