CHICAGO — A white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager 16 times last year was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday, hours before the city released a video of the killing that many people fear could spark unrest.
City officials and community leaders have been bracing for the release of the dash-cam video, fearing the kind of unrest that occurred in cities such as Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., after young black men were slain by police or died in police custody.
A judge ordered that the recording be put out by today. Moments before the footage was made public Tuesday evening, the mayor and the police chief appealed for calm.
“People have a right to be angry. People have a right to protest. People have a right to free speech. But they do not have a right to … criminal acts,” Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said.
Reporters were directed to download the video from a password-protected website, but the site was apparently overwhelmed with requests, and the footage could not immediately be obtained by The Associated Press.
City officials spent months arguing that the footage could not be made public until the conclusion of several investigations. After the judge’s order, the investigation was quickly wrapped up and a charge announced.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez defended the 13 months it took to charge officer Jason Van Dyke. She said cases involving police officers present “highly complex” legal issues and she would rather take the time to get it right than “rush to judgment.”
Alvarez said the impending release prompted her to move up the announcement of the murder charge out of concern the footage could spark violence.
“It is graphic. It is violent. It is chilling,” she said. “To watch a 17-year-old young man die in such a violent manner is deeply disturbing. I have absolutely no doubt that this video will tear at the hearts of all Chicagoans.”
But she insisted that she made a decision “weeks ago” to charge Van Dyke and the video’s ordered release did not influence that.
Some community leaders said there was no doubt that Alvarez only brought charges because of the order to release the video from Oct. 20, 2014 that shows the shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17.
“This is a panicky reaction to an institutional crisis within the criminal-justice system,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who said he hoped to see “massive” but peaceful demonstrations.
Months after McDonald’s death, the city agreed to a $5 million settlement with his family, even before relatives filed a lawsuit.
The city’s hurried attempts to defuse tensions also included a community meeting, official statements of outrage at the officer’s conduct and an abrupt announcement Monday night that another officer who has been the subject of protests for months might now be fired.
