Jury shown graphic footage of police officer shooting teen 16 times until his partner asked him to stop
The murder trial of police officer Jason Van Dyke over his fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald began on Monday in Chicago, with the jury shown the graphic dashcam footage of the cop shooting the teen 16 times from approximately 10 feet (three meters) away.
Van Dyke, 40, is charged with first-degree murder, official misconduct and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot fired, in the October 20, 2014, slaying of McDonald. The 17-year-old was shot after attempting to steal car radios with a small three-inch blade. He had PCP in his system.
In the video, McDonald can be seen behaving erratically while walking down the street, swaying slightly as he gripped a folding knife with a three-inch blade. He did not obey police commands to drop the knife and continued to stagger; Van Dyke then steps out of his squad car and begins to shoot at the teen within the next six seconds.