On the eve of Thanksgiving, President Obama shared his personal sentiments about the shooting death of Laquan McDonald — the 17-year-old Chicagoan who was shot 16 times by police officer Jason Van Dyke.
In the message that was posted to the president’s Facebook page, he admits that he too, like many who have seen the video, was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the footage of the October 2014 shooting.
He wrote, “Like many Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.”
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“This Thanksgiving, I ask everybody to keep those who’ve suffered tragic loss in our thoughts and prayers, and to be thankful for the overwhelming majority of men and women in uniform who protect our communities with honor.”
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He closed by acknowledging the valiant work of Chicago protestors who have lead peaceful protests since Tuesday when the video was released.
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“And I’m personally grateful to the people of my hometown for keeping protests peaceful.”