By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) A judge has ordered that the juvenile records of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer, be released to the officer’s attorney.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan has ordered the release of McDonald’s juvenile records to Jason Van Dyke’s attorneys, except for records about his birth mother and sister. A juvenile court judge had previously denied the release of those records.
Van Dyke is charged in the October 2014 death of Laquan McDonald. The shooting, captured on a police dashcam and later made public, sparked demonstrations in Chicago and a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Chicago Police Department.
Meanwhile, attorneys for Van Dyke, who is charged with first-degree murder, asked Tuesday that the criminal case be dismissed. They argue that the Cook County prosecutors improperly used officer statements to build their case. Judge Gaughan is waiting to hear back from the special prosecutor in the case before making a ruling.
@ 2017 WLS-AM News