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Chicago policemen conspired to shield officer convicted of murder -prosecutor
Source: Reuters
U.S. NOVEMBER 27, 2018 / 3:15 PM / UPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
Chicago policemen conspired to shield officer convicted of murder -prosecutor
Suzannah Gonzales
3 MIN READ
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three Chicago policemen conspired to protect a fellow officer after he fatally shot a black teenager in 2014, a prosecutor said on Tuesday, even though there was a video of the shooting that helped to convict former officer Jason Van Dyke.
Prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes said in her opening statement that the defendants, David March, Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney, offered accounts of the deadly incident that conflicted with video evidence. Laquan McDonald, 17, was armed with a knife when he was shot 16 times.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice. The bench trial is expected to run into next week.
In October, a jury found Van Dyke, who is white, guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of McDonald, in a case that had laid bare tensions between the black community and police.
“Instead of serving and protecting all citizens of Chicago the defendants tried to protect only one – Jason Van Dyke – by trying to create a false justification for the shooting of Laquan McDonald,” Holmes said.
-snip-
Chicago policemen conspired to shield officer convicted of murder -prosecutor
Suzannah Gonzales
3 MIN READ
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three Chicago policemen conspired to protect a fellow officer after he fatally shot a black teenager in 2014, a prosecutor said on Tuesday, even though there was a video of the shooting that helped to convict former officer Jason Van Dyke.
Prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes said in her opening statement that the defendants, David March, Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney, offered accounts of the deadly incident that conflicted with video evidence. Laquan McDonald, 17, was armed with a knife when he was shot 16 times.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice. The bench trial is expected to run into next week.
In October, a jury found Van Dyke, who is white, guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of McDonald, in a case that had laid bare tensions between the black community and police.
“Instead of serving and protecting all citizens of Chicago the defendants tried to protect only one – Jason Van Dyke – by trying to create a false justification for the shooting of Laquan McDonald,” Holmes said.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chicago-police/chicago-policemen-conspired-to-shield-officer-convicted-of-murder-prosecutor-idUSKCN1NW2AC