Jason Van Dyke, the man responsible for the 2014 shooting death of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald, was attacked in prison last week, according to reports.
NBC News, who spoke to Van Dyke’s wife, reported that the convicted murderer was recently moved from an undisclosed prison in Illinois to an out of state prison in Danbury, Connecticut. The assault happened shortly after his arrival at the Federal Correction Institute while being held in general population. Attorneys for the ex-police officer say the injuries are not life-threatening, but confirmed that another inmate at the Connecticut prison did “jump” him and punch him a few times.
While in Illinois, the 40-year-old who was sentenced to six years and nine months for second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery, was kept in isolation. Subsequent to the attack in Connecticut, Van Dyke was moved away from other inmates for his protection. Attorneys for the disgraced officer say they are concerned for his safety.
Van Dyke’s conviction in January was the first time in 50 years that a Chicago police officer was convicted of murder for an on-duty killing. In October 2014, VanDyke shot then 17-year-old McDonald 16 times after responding to reports that McDonald was breaking into cars on the Southwest Side of the city and had a knife. Though the ex-cop said he feared for his life, dash cam footage showed that the McDonald was actually walking away from officers when shots rang out.
The case of a white cop killing a Black teen sparked racial tensions and a civil rights investigation. On Monday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that he would be challenging Van Dyke’s sentence, which many people denounced as too lenient.