The Murder of Laquan McDonald: Cops, Lies and Videotape, Part 2

December 7, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

17-year-old Laquan McDonald was gunned down and killed in cold blood by white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke on October 20, 2014. Laquan was shot 16 times in 14 seconds as he walked down the middle of the street. The police say he had a three-inch folding knife. The Chicago Police Department released the police dashboard video of this killing more than a year later, and only after they were ordered to by a court. Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder on November 24, the day before the court had ordered the video released. The video was released later the same day. Now, hundreds of pages of newly released police reports reveal that Van Dyke and at least FIVE other cops just STRAIGHT-OUT LIED about what happened to justify the murder:

What the cops and the police report said: That Van Dyke exited his vehicle, drew his handgun, then stood in the street as McDonald came toward him and that “McDonald was holding the knife in his right hand, in an underhand grip, with the blade pointed forward.... He was swinging the knife in an aggressive, exaggerated manner.” That Van Dyke repeatedly ordered McDonald to drop the knife. Then, “When McDonald got within 10 to 15 feet of Officer Van Dyke, McDonald looked toward Van Dyke, McDonald raised the knife across his chest and over shoulder, [sic] pointing the knife at Van Dyke.” Van Dyke said he continued to fire at McDonald while he was on the ground because McDonald “appeared to be attempt(ing) to get up, all the while continuing to point the knife” at him and still presented a threat.

One cop said he believed McDonald was “attempting to kill them” when Van Dyke opened fire. One report read, “In defense of his life, Van Dyke backpedaled and fired his handgun at McDonald, to stop the attack.... McDonald fell to the ground but continued to move and continued to grasp the knife, refusing to let go of it.”

What the video shows: Van Dyke started shooting six seconds after getting out of his vehicle, firing 16 shots at Laquan McDonald. (Prosecutors say 13 of them were fired at Laquan after he was already on the ground.)

Laquan McDonald is walking down the middle of the street, in fact moving AWAY from, not toward, the cops; when the shooting starts he is a full traffic lane away from the cops. His hands are at his sides. When Van Dyke opens fire, he is NOT moving back [backpedaling], but appears to be advancing as he fires his gun. Laquan spins around and then immediately crumples to the ground; Van Dyke continues to shoot. Laquan’s body, as he is lying on the ground, jerks as more bullets strike him, but he makes NO MOVE to get up from the ground.

What the police supervisors said: That McDonald’s death was a justifiable homicide and within the bounds of the department’s use of force guidelines.

What state investigators said: After viewing the video, they found it consistent with the officers’ accounts. Reports also note that the 911 call after the shooting and radio transmissions from the scene “were consistent with the statements of the police officers.”

*****

What the people demand: Indict, Convict, Send the Killer Cops to Jail, The Whole Damn System Is Guilty as Hell!

And as the statement from the Chicago Branch of the Revolutionary Communist Party said:

EVERY SINGLE PERSON involved in Laquan’s murder and the cover-up should be indicted and prosecuted. EVERY SINGLE COP involved in the police murders and cover-ups of a long list of other people, like Ronnie Johnson or Roshad McIntosh, Darius Pinex, Dakota Bright or Martice Milner should ALL be indicted. There is no statute of limitations on murder. The list is long and the crimes are many. Our demand is simple: Stop police terror.

 

 

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