Laquan Mcdonald: Murder or Self-Defense?
The dashcam video of Laquan Mcdonald has finally be released November 24, 2015, a full year after his death.17 year-old Laquan Mcdonald lost his life to 16 bullets fired from Officer Jason Van Dyke’s gun. Offer Van Dyke states that he felt his life was in dangered and he justified his actions as self-defense. Now did Officer Van Dyke have to empty his guns magazine in order to stop Laquans advance of harm against the police?
On October 20th, 2015 police personnel responded to a call where Laquan was seen walking down the street with at the time what was assumed to be a knife. As officers arrived on seen Laquan continued walking down the street with said weapon. Not towards the police, not near the police, but parallel with the police. At that time Officer Van Dyke felt the need to discharge 16 bullets from his service weapon into the body of Laquan Mcdonald. After the first bullet was fired, Laquans body fell to the pavement where it lay limp as Officer Van Dyke discharged the remaining 15 bullets. After all bullets were fired, Officer Van Dyke”s partner proceeded to kick the weapon away from Laquans lifeless body.
Just this past Tuesday Van Dyke was stripped of his police powers and was taken into police custody on the charges for the murder of Laquan Mcdonald in the first degree. For over a year Van Dyke has been working for the Chicago Police department in a “limited duty position” as an investigation was started of the murder of Laquan Mcdonald. The city ordered a deadline for the dashcam video to be released to the public by November 24th, 2015.The States attorney said,”It is my determination that this defendant's actions -- of shooting Laquan McDonald when he did not pose an immediate threat of great bodily harm or death, and his subsequent actions of shooting Laquan McDonald while he lay on the ground after previously being struck by gunfire --- were not justified and they were not a proper use of deadly force by this police officer," in and interview on Monday November 23rd, 2015.
As riots and protests erupt throughout the Chicago land area, many queastion why Van Dyke felt the need to discharge 16 bullets into the limp body of Laquan Mcdonald? Why was a gun put in the hands of such a violent man? Why did such a young life needed to be taken so early in life? Was it Self-Defense or outright murder? Why couldn’t Van Dyke have used an alternative method in order to detain Laquan Mcdonald? Will Van Dyke be brought to justice in the murder investigation of Laquan Mcdonald? Shall we have faith in our justice system to right this wrong? The public’s answers shall be answered as the case of Laquan Mcdonalds murder progresses.
