Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke Convicted of Second-Degree Murder for Killing Laquan McDonald

by | Oct 6, 2018

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke Convicted of Second-Degree Murder for Killing Laquan McDonald

by | Oct 6, 2018

Jason Van Dyke, on the left. Chicago court live camera footage

Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke was found guilty this afternoon of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald in 2014. McDonald’s death was an abrupt encounter that tore at open wounds between Chicago’s government and its community.

At the time of the deadly encounter, McDonald, then 17, was high on PCP and armed with a small knife. Police had been called out on the evening of October 20, 2014, because a suspect (later identified as McDonald) was allegedly breaking into vehicles parked in a lot.

Van Dyke was a late arrival to the confrontation. Before he got there, McDonald had reportedly swung his knife at one witness, who had called 911. Then, as police attempted to corral McDonald while still in their vehicles, he stabbed one of the cars in the tire and hit it in the windshield with his knife.

McDonald eventually fled to a Burger King parking lot and then into a nearby street, which is where Van Dyke and his partner arrived. When Van Dyke exited his police car, he pulled out his gun and opened fire on McDonald almost immediately, though the other officers on the scene didn’t even have their guns drawn. He emptied his gun into McDonald, shooting him 16 times.

Read the rest at reason.com.

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

libetarian institute longsleeve shirt

Our Books

cb0cb1ef 3fcb 417d 80d8 4eef7bbd8290

Recent Articles

Recent

400 Ph.D. Economists vs. One Shiny Rock

400 Ph.D. Economists vs. One Shiny Rock

On July 21, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for a full review of the Federal Reserve system. He said on CNBC’s Squawk Box, “I think what we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful.” It’s a completely...

read more
The Coming Age of AI Government

The Coming Age of AI Government

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, sometimes more accurately called “Language Learning Machines” is changing the world around us at a scary and unprecedented pace. While there are many potential benefits, the dangers are much more in focus....

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This