Report: Chicago cops ignored recommendation to fire officers after Laquan McDonald shooting

A leaked Inspector General report shows law enforcement closing ranks.

Documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune reveal that Chicago law enforcement ignored an inspector general’s recommendations to terminate commanding officers who corroborated false statements about the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald. Police also rushed to defend Officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot McDonald 16 times over a period of 15 seconds, just six seconds after he exited his squad car.

During his investigation of the shooting and aftermath, Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson discovered that a deputy chief on patrol the night of McDonald’s death, David McNaughton, “approved false police reports submitted by Van Dyke, Walsh and a third officer,” according to the Tribune. Ferguson also said in his report that McNaughton had lied to the news media, rewording a police statement to say that McDonald was approaching police when Van Dyke opened fire.

Additionally, Ferguson found that Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy watched the video and “let stand reports that contained materially false statements and put forth a false narrative, which served to exaggerate the threat McDonald posed at the time of the shooting.” The inspector general concluded that officers also lied about the details of the shooting by painting McDonald as more threatening than he actually was.

https://thinkprogress.org/report-chicago-cops-ignored-recommendation-to-fire-officers-after-laquan-mcdonald-shooting-b3b04ae7a39#.lut13nbto