CHICAGO, Dec. 29 (UPI) — Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge for the 2014 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Van Dyke was arraigned on Tuesday, with his attorney, Dan Herbert, entering the plea. Van Dyke was indicted earlier this month on six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct for fatally shooting McDonald.
Van Dyke’s lawyer and his family have previously said they would like the officer’s trial to be held outside of Cook County.
In November, a dashcam video of the shooting was released, leading to protests. Van Dyke, a 14-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, was stripped of his police powers and placed on desk duty after the incident.
The FBI previously launched its own investigation into the shooting death of McDonald. The Chicago City Council agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald’s family earlier this year.
McDonald was shot and killed on Oct. 20, 2014, after police were called to a trucking yard to investigate a spate of attempted car burglaries. Police found McDonald about two blocks from the trucking yard with a 3-inch knife in hand.
Officers attempted to surround McDonald but he slashed one of the tires of a squad car and began jogging away, according to police. Van Dyke arrived, exited his car with his gun drawn and opened fire. McDonald was shot 16 times.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office found McDonald had wounds to his chest, neck, back, arms and right leg. An autopsy later revealed McDonald had PCP in his body. There were several officers on the scene, but only Van Dyke opened fire.
