CHICAGO — The family of a black teenager shot 16 times by a white Chicago police officer joined the call Friday for change in local leadership and policing in the city and nationwide, weeks after a video of the 2014 killing set off days of protests.
Laquan McDonald was shot in October 2014 by Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder. Squad-car footage was released late last month upon a judge’s order, and protests have taken place almost daily since. Protesters allege a coverup and have called for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
The Rev. Marvin Hunter, who is McDonald’s great uncle, said at a news conference Friday that “what we’re feeling in Chicago is the real feeling of America itself, and that’s injustice against people of color.” He also said there are “thousands of Laquan McDonalds.”
The family has stayed largely out of the spotlight since the video was released Nov. 24, but about a dozen of them stood behind Hunter. One notable absence was McDonald’s mother, whom Hunter said is “hurting and traumatized by the constant reminder of the senseless death of her son.”
The city agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald’s family earlier this year without a lawsuit being filed.
