Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who is facing first-degree murder charges in the 2014 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, will face an additional 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, a special prosecutor announced Thursday.
According to USA Today, the new indictment racks up the number of felony charges against Van Dyke to 23, including six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct. However, the real question remains as to whether the officer will be found guilty of the charges or acquitted in the controversial case.
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Disturbing video of the shooting shows Van Dyke firing 16 shots at Laquan, who appeared to be attempting to flee from the police. The officer started shooting within seconds of arriving on the scene and continued firing his weapon even after Laquan fell to the ground. The video contradicted police claims that Laquan lunged at police with a knife. The city of Chicago attempted to stop the video’s release, which came 400 days after the teen’s death.
USA Today notes that a grand jury is also deciding whether some of Van Dyke’s colleagues who were at the scene that night should also be indicted in the shooting. Those officers at the scene had told investigators that Laquan had ignored Van Dyke’s orders to drop the knife, thus putting officers in danger.
Read more at USA Today.
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