Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, was denied bail at a hearing in Chicago's main criminal courthouse earlier Tuesday, hours after top Cook County prosecutor Anita Alvarez announced charges of first-degree murder. If convicted, Van Dyke could face 20 years to life in prison.
Mass protest
Small bands of protesters reacted to Tuesday's events, taking to the streets a few hours after the video's release.
"People have a right to be angry. People have a right to protest. People have a right to free speech. But they do not have a right to ... criminal acts," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said.
Shortly after the video's release, protesters began marching through city streets. Several hundred people blocked traffic on the near West Side. Some circled police cars in an intersection and chanted "16 shots" in reference to the number of times Van Dyke shot McDonald.
"I'm so hurt and so angry," said Jedidiah Brown, a South Side activist and pastor who had just seen the video. "I can feel pain through my body."
By 11 p.m., a crowd that once numbered in the hundreds had dispersed except for a smaller group affiliated with Black Lives Matter.
Aislinn Sol, an organizer for Black Lives Matter in Chicago, said at least three, possibly four activists were taken into police custody, and the crowd at the police station planned to await their release.
Chicago police spokesman Hector Alfaro said late Tuesday that the department couldn't confirm arrests related to the protests and information was still trickling in. A police spokesman said earlier Tuesday that two protesters had been arrested
The video footage
The important part of the video runs for less than 40 seconds. Technical issues were blamed for a lack of audio.
McDonald swings into view on a four-lane street where police vehicles are stopped in the middle of the roadway. As he jogs down an empty lane, he appears to pull up his pants and then slows to a brisk walk, veering away from two officers who are emerging from a vehicle and drawing their guns.
Almost immediately, one of the officers appears to fire from close range. McDonald spins around and crumples to the pavement. The second officer simultaneously lowers his weapon.
The car with the camera continues to roll forward until the officers are out of the frame. Then McDonald can be seen lying on the ground, moving occasionally. At least two small puffs of smoke are seen coming off his body as the officer continues firing.
In the final moments, an officer kicks something out of McDonald's hands.
Police have said the teen had a knife. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said Tuesday that a 3-inch knife with its blade folded into the handle was recovered from the scene.
McDonald was shot 16 times by Van Dyke, who emptied his gun and prepared to reload, prosecutors said. Van Dyke has said through his lawyer and the police union that the shooting was justified because he felt threatened by McDonald.
"Clearly, this officer went overboard and he abused his authority, and I don't think use of force was necessary," prosecutor Alvarez said at a news conference after the hearing on Tuesday.
He believes Van Dyke is the first Chicago police officer to be criminally charged for an on-duty shooting.
Last week, a court ordered the release of the video, taken by a police patrol car's dashboard camera. The police union objects to its release.
Family's call for calm
McDonald's family on Tuesday called for calm, as did Mayor Rahm Emanuel and black community leaders.
"No one understands the anger more than us, but if you choose to speak out, we urge you to be peaceful. Don't resort to violence in Laquan's name. Let his legacy be better than that," McDonald's family said in a statement through their lawyer.
But in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, family appeals for peace were not always heeded. Black community leaders in Chicago said they feared violent protests in reaction to the video. Politicians and church leaders in the Austin neighborhood urged potential demonstrators to protest peacefully.
"We feel your pain, but we challenge you to turn your pain into power. We know protests are coming, please allow them to be peaceable," the Rev. Ira Acree said at a news conference.
Van Dyke, who wore a brown sweatshirt and faded blue jeans as he stood with his hands behind his back in court, has been on administrative duty. Federal prosecutors were also investigating the shooting.
The altercation between McDonald and police officers on Chicago's southwest side began with a call that a knife-wielding man was trying to break into trucks to steal radios. Chicago police have said McDonald threatened them with a knife and slashed at the tires and windshield of a patrol car. McDonald ignored a warning to drop the knife, officials said.
The city has already paid McDonald's family a $5 million civil settlement even though they did not file a lawsuit.
"No one understands the anger more than us, but if you choose to speak out, we urge you to be peaceful. Don't resort to violence in Laquan's name. Let his legacy be better than that," McDonald's family said in a statement through their lawyer.
But in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, family appeals for peace were not always heeded. Black community leaders in Chicago said they feared violent protests in reaction to the video. Politicians and church leaders in the Austin neighborhood urged potential demonstrators to protest peacefully.
"We feel your pain, but we challenge you to turn your pain into power. We know protests are coming, please allow them to be peaceable," the Rev. Ira Acree said at a news conference.
Van Dyke, who wore a brown sweatshirt and faded blue jeans as he stood with his hands behind his back in court, has been on administrative duty. Federal prosecutors were also investigating the shooting.
The altercation between McDonald and police officers on Chicago's southwest side began with a call that a knife-wielding man was trying to break into trucks to steal radios. Chicago police have said McDonald threatened them with a knife and slashed at the tires and windshield of a patrol car. McDonald ignored a warning to drop the knife, officials said.
The city has already paid McDonald's family a $5 million civil settlement even though they did not file a lawsuit.
Bloom Gist and Agencies
