New audio shows Chicago police asked for taser in Laquan McDonald shooting

Protestors have continued to advocate for McDonald with a protest scheduled for Thursday on the Magnificent Mile luxury retail strip, the same area where protestors called for justice for McDonald last month during Black Friday protests.

The delay in the release of the video has raised questions about whether the police department properly investigated the case. Paul International Airport – resulting in closed stores, delayed flights and surreal images of riot police clogging escalators and entrances that said, “Welcome to Mall of America”.

In Chicago on Thursday, more than 100 demonstrators marched down North Michigan Avenue, the city’s premier shopping corridor, and laid down on the street for a “die-in”. At one point, there was a short scuffle on a crowded sidewalk between protesters and police officers.

Demonstrators protesting police shootings of black men confronted last-minute holiday shoppers and travelers in California and the Midwest this week, seeing the crowds as an opportunity to draw attention to their cause.

Officers have already worn them in one North Side district.

The recordings include a 911 call and radio traffic between officers and dispatchers, as police approached 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Many carried placards that read, “Rahm Resign”, referring to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and one demonstrator walked shops holding a sign that read, “Shopping for a New Mayor”.

Van Dyke is set to be arraigned Tuesday on a first-degree murder charge. Mayor Emanuel says the cameras will help “build trust” in the police.

More than a hundred people took part in the protest, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Employees and patrons to the Apple Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, watch protesters trying to shut down the entrance to the store, while still calling for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015, in Chicago.

Police attempted to detain demonstrators at the Magnificent Mile shopping district on Thursday, but no successful arrests were reported.

Recordings of Chicago police radio traffic surrounding the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white officer show at least one responding officer asked for a Taser and – given that squad-car video lacks audio – offer a partial glimpse of officers’ discussions as events unfolded.

On the night of his death, McDonald was carrying a knife, but appeared to be walking away from officers at the time he was shot to death.

The 17-year-old was shot 16 times, but the video of his killing was kept from the public until last month.

It remains unclear which officer requested the Taser or whether an officer with a stun gun arrived on the scene.