16 Shots

WBEZ, the Chicago Tribune

Chicago hardly noticed when a white cop fatally shot a black 17-year-old in the middle of the street in October 2014. Laquan McDonald, who was carrying a knife, was the 14th person the city’s police had shot dead that year, and the days that followed saw no newspaper obituaries, no press conferences, and no large protests. But McDonald’s death rocked Chicago 13 months later when a judge ordered the city to release a police dashcam video of the shooting. The infamous recording shows Officer Jason Van Dyke exit a police SUV and — within seconds — fire 16 shots at McDonald. Police reported McDonald had been swinging a knife at officers, but the video shows the teen walking away. The fallout was swift: Officers were accused of a cover-up, the top cop was fired, and the U.S. Justice Department launched a probe into the city’s police department. On Oct. 5, 2018, Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. He was found not guilty of the official misconduct charge.On Jan. 18, 2019, he was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Tribune teamed up to make a podcast that examined the shooting, the fallout, and the trial. Hear what led the city to this moment, and how the trial unfolded.

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