Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Thursday, June 29, 2017.
Jason Van Dyke testifies about the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald shooting in pretrial hearing
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke testified Wednesday about the events that occurred after he shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald to death in 2014. Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder, official misconduct, and 16 counts of aggravated battery, testified for approximately half an hour about statements he made to his superiors and other officers after the shooting. At the request of Van Dyke’s attorney Daniel Herbert, videotaping of the hearing was prohibited, but reporters were allowed to record audio. One of the points at issue is whether Van Dyke’s statements were “compelled”—meaning that he was required to make them at risk of losing his job—in which case, based on a 1967 Supreme Court ruling, they might be ruled inadmissible in a criminal trial. “It was my understanding that you had to speak to the [highest-ranking officer] about what happened—otherwise I would be fired,” Van Dyke maintained. [DNAinfo Chicago]
