Jason Van Dyke Trial

Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Prosecutors claim that of eight responding officers, Van Dyke was the only one who felt inclined to use force – and use it 16 times.

Documents provided by prosecutors describe an exchange between Van Dyke and his partner after the officer shot at McDonald 16 times over about 15 seconds.

The partner was identified as Officer A. ‘Officer A reported that there was a brief pause in the shots when he looked at defendant and saw that he was preparing to reload his weapon. Officer A could hear McDonald struggling to breathe, told defendant to hold his fire.’

McDonald was armed with a knife and reportedly under the influence of PCP, but did not lunge at officers as police union officials initially claimed.

In a video of the shooting on Oct. 20, 2014, Van Dyke is seen exiting his car with his gun drawn and approaching McDonald. His first shot spins McDonald around and he collapses in the middle of Pulaski Road.

The video shows McDonald walking away from the officer as Van Dyke moved closer before shooting. Once McDonald is down, the shooting continues. After the initial shot, the video doesn’t show Van Dyke actually firing, but puffs of smoke rise from McDonald’s body, evidence of several more shots.

McDonald is seen lying on his side in the road, twitching from the impact of the bullets. After Van Dyke stopped shooting, his partner is seen kicking a knife away from McDonald’s body.

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