It’s been six months since the video of Laquan McDonald’s fatal shooting put a national spotlight on police brutality and corruption in Chicago, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is still grappling with how to restore trust of the city’s officers.
The violence at Trump’s rallies has boiled over in recent days. Trump himself canceled his rally on Friday in Chicago, citing safety concerns.
The Chicago police officer accused of killing 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier just after Christmas has filed a lawsuit against the dead teenager’s estate, alleging that LeGrier assaulted the officer and caused him emotional distress.
Officer Robert Rialmo claims he shot LeGrier seven times because the teenager swung a bat at him. Rialmo also accidentally shot an elderly neighbor, Bettie Jones, in the chest and killed her.
After covering up the incident for more than a year, Chicago officials released video last month of the killing of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke. The video immediately sparked calls for accountability and for the resignation of top officials including Mayor Rahm Emanuel and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
On Sunday, after both officials said they had no plans to step down, the Department of Justice announced that it will conduct a wide-ranging civil rights investigation.
After five straight days of protests over the police shooting of of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy offered their new plan to hold police officers accountable: more body cameras.
The move may not appease the thousands of Chicagoans who have joined the protests. Though dashboard camera footage existed showing Officer Jason Van Dyke unloading his pistol at McDonald’s, officials withheld it from the public for over a year and lied about its contents until they were forced to release the video by court order last week. Emanuel and McCarthy have been accused of participating in a cover-up of the shooting.
After a prolonged legal battle, Chicago police released a video of one of their officers, Jason Van Dyke, shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times Wednesday.
The video shows McDonald carrying a small knife, walking away from Van Dyke before the officer opens fire. The entire shooting took about 15 seconds, and McDonald was lying on the ground for 13 of them. An officer appears to kick at McDonald’s body after shooting him.
![WATCH: What Police Said About The Killing Of Laquan McDonald Before The Video Showed What Really Happened
““He’s got a 100-yard stare. He’s staring blankly,” [Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat] Camden said of the teen. “[He] walked up to a car...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9b9389caff68b61fe9560f34d4dfbf61/tumblr_nydg4xvptP1ql6jblo1_1280.jpg)
“He’s got a 100-yard stare. He’s staring blankly,” [Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat] Camden said of the teen. “[He] walked up to a car and stabbed the tire of the car and kept walking.”Officers remained in their car and followed McDonald as he walked south on Pulaski Road. More officers arrived and police tried to box the teen in with two squad cars, Camden said. McDonald punctured one of the squad car’s front passenger-side tires and damaged the front windshield, police and Camden said.Officers got out of their car and began approaching McDonald, again telling him to drop the knife, Camden said. The boy allegedly lunged at police, and one of the officers opened fire.McDonald was shot in the chest and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:42 p.m.
Watch: the truth comes out.
As Chicago braces for the release of dash cam footage showing officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times, the city’s controversial lead prosecutor is expected to charge the cop with first degree murder on Tuesday.
Witnesses say McDonald was walking away from officers last October, when Van Dyke opened fire on the 17-year-old from 15 feet away. Investigators later confirmed the boy was shot at least twice in the back. He was holding a small knife at the time.
Chicago Hunger Strikers Bring The Fight To Keep Their School Open To Washington D.C.
Last month, 12 parents and community members decided to go on a hunger strike to protest the closure of Dyett High School in Chicago. Dyett High School is slated to shut its doors by the 2015-16 school year but the hunger strikers advocate converting the high school into the Global Leadership and Green Technology High School instead. Now, in their 17th day of going without solid foods, they’re bringing the protest to Washington D.C.