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11/22/2024 01:05:45 pm

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Chicago Teen Shooting Spurs Black Friday Protests

Chicago Police / Chicago Protests

(Photo : GETTY IMAGES / Joshua Lott / Stringer) Police officers watch demonstrators protesting the shooting of Laquan McDonald who was killed by a Chicago police officer November 27, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

Black Friday 2015 for Chicago was marred by protests over the deadly shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald by a white police officer last year.

On Oct. 20, 2014, white officer Jason Van Dyke fired multiple shots at 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who allegedly was holding a three-inch knife. He was suspected to have broken into cars. On Black Friday 2015, hundreds of demonstrators blocked Chicago's shopping district in a bid to draw attention to the alleged police brutality, according to ABC News.

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The protests come in the wake of the court-ordered release of a video captured by a squad-car camera which shows how Van Dyke fired 16 shots at the teen suspect. The demonstrators expressed their anger over what they saw as a mishandled investigation into the case.

In the six-minute video, McDonald is seen jogging down Pulaski Road when Van Dyke and another police officer step out from their car carrying their guns. Then Van Dyke starts to shoot and keeps on shooting even though McDonald already collapses on the pavement. On Tuesday, Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder, the Chicago Tribune reports.

In defense, Van Dyke explained that he shot McDonald because he feared for his life. He also said the trial should not be held in the court of public opinion but in an actual courtroom.

During a news conference, Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Van Dyke will have to pay for taking the Chicago teen's life. He also acknowledged that the public has the right to protest, but the Chicago police will not tolerate criminal acts during demonstrations.

"The officer in this case took a young man's life, and he's going to have to account for his actions," the Tribune quotes McCarthy's statement during the press briefing. "People have a right to be angry, people have a right to protest."

The Chicago protesters succeeded in blocking the stores along Michigan Avenue including Saks Fifth Avenue, Disney Store, Apple Store, Tiffany & Co., Nike, and Neiman Marcus. Two of them were arrested because of traffic-related offenses and one was detained because of battery.

As of now, Van Dyke is in jail and is being held with no bond for the Chicago teen shooting. McDonald's family, on the other hand, urged the public to avoid resorting to violence when seeking justice for the victim.

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