Laquan McDonald Shooting Dash-Cam Video Released [Full Tape]

Laquan McDonald’s shooting death at the hands of a Chicago police officer on Oct. 20, 2014 was captured on a dash-cam video that has now been released to the public.

Laquan McDonald Shooting Video

In the video, McDonald, 17, walks down a busy road towards patrol cars as one approaches him from behind. Though armed with a 3-inch knife, McDonald is shown walking away from the two police officers who get out of their vehicle. Three seconds after exiting a squad car, officer Jason Van Dyke shoots McDonald.

Upon getting shot, McDonald spins and falls to the ground. The black teenager continues to writhe on the road as the white police officer shoots him a total of 16 times before ceasing fire. Eventually, an officer walks over and kicks away what appears to be McDonald’s knife. At no time is an officer shown checking McDonald for signs of life or offering him aid.

Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder for McDonald’s death Tuesday morning. The judge on the case ruled that the police had to release the video of the shooting by Wednesday. The video, which was released late Tuesday, has led to protests throughout Chicago.

McDonald’s family released a statement ahead of the video’s release asking for calm.

Attorneys Michael D. Robbins and Jeffrey J. Neslund said in a statement, “No one understands the anger more than us but if you choose to speak out, we urge you to be peaceful. Don’t resort to violence in Laquan’s name. Let his legacy be better than that.”