• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

#JusticeForLaquan: Chicago Police Officer Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder In 2014 Execution Of Laquan McDonald

#JusticeForLaquan: Chicago Police Officer Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in 2014 Execution of Laquan McDonald
By Kirsten West Savali · Updated October 23, 2020
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, 40, has been convicted on second-degree murder charges in the October 2014 shooting death of 17-year-Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke, who is white, fatally shot McDonald after he spotted the teen walking down the street with a small knife in his hand. The jury—which consisted of eight women and four men; seven white, one Black, three Latino, and one Asian—also found Van Dyke guilty of 16 counts of aggravated battery, representing the 16 times that the “peace” officer shot the teen, with at least 9 shots piercing McDonald’s back. CNN reports: “The officer faces between four and 20 years in prison and is eligible for probation for the second-degree murder conviction, prosecutor Joseph McMahon said. The aggravated battery with a firearm convictions carry a sentence of six to 30 years with no probation.” Van Dyke was originally charged with first-degree murder, but jurors were instructed on Thursday that they could consider second-degree. Van Dyke was found not guilty of official misconduct, the Washington Post reports. Chicago mayoral candidate, former Federal Prosecutor, and former Police Board President Lori Lightfoot released the following statement today in response to the verdict in the Van Dyke case. “This is a significant milestone in Chicago’s history. Going against a national trend in which juries almost always acquit on-duty police officers on criminal charges, this jury found the evidence powerful and compelling—as have so many Chicagoans in the years since Laquan McDonald’s tragic death. I commend members of the jury for doing their civic duty in such a difficult environment. “I hope that this decision marks not just a milestone, but a turning point as well,” Lightfoot continues. “We must pray for Laquan McDonald and his family, and for all those in our city who have been affected by trauma and violence, and we must all work tirelessly to build a Chicago where all can find justice and peace.” Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel participated in the coverup of the police execution of 17-year-old McDonald, and his career has rightfully suffered for it. Emanuel, who announced in September that he will not be seeking re-election for a third term, issued the following joint statement with Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. “While the jury has heard the case and reached their conclusion, our collective work is not done. The effort to drive lasting reform and rebuild bonds of trust between residents and police must carry on with vigor,” Emanuel and Johnson said. Though the guilty verdict for Van Dyke is both unexpected and absolutely necessary, it is telling that the jury chose to find him not guilty of official misconduct. Is murdering a Black child not unbecoming behavior for a police officer? Van Dyke, in his capacity as a police officer, murdered Laquan McDonald. It is impossible to separate his violence from the violence of the state that empowered him—they are one and the same. The Chicago Police Department’s propensity for violence has been well-documented, especially following the CPD’s collusion with the FBI in the 1969 state-sanctioned assasination of Black Panther Party for Self-Defense Chairman Fred Hampton. According to data analyzed by the Chicago Tribune, over the span of six years (2010-2016), the Chicago Police Department killed 92 people and wounded 170 people in 435 shootings. Four of five victims shot during that time period were Black men and boys. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-chicago-police-shooting-database-met-20160826-story.html In 2015, former Chicago police officer Dante Servin was acquitted in the 2012 fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd; one year later he was allowed to resign from the police department and collect his pension. As ESSENCE previously reported, in May 2015, Chicago’s City Council unanimously passed a reparations package (pdf) that included a $5.5 million fund for Black people who were tortured in police custody during former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge’s time in office. https://www.essence.com/news/jon-burge-chicago-police-torture-dead/ The University of Chicago’s Chicago Torture Archive—a massive collection of interrogations, criminal and civil-litigation documents, works of journalism, and records of activism in connection with and sparked by the CPD torture cases documented between 1972 and 1991–is available online. Van Dyke became the first Chicago police officer to be convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting in nearly 50 years, the New York Times reports. CNN reports that he is the first Chicago police officer to be charged with first-degree murder since 1980. Van Dyke’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 31.
TOPICS:  Chicago police shooting Jason Van Dyke Laquan McDonald lori lightfoot Rahm Emanuel
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now