The Chicago police officer charged with killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, faces six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct.
A dashcam video, taken on on 20 October 2014 after police responded to reports of a person slashing car tires, was released last month. It shows Van Dyke, who is white, shooting Laquan, who was black, 16 times.
Laquan, who was carrying a knife and walking quickly on Pulaski Road, was surrounded by officers. Police opened fire after he veered away from vehicles.
In contradiction of what is shown in the video, a police report said Laquan approached officers with a knife. Before the footage was released, a police union spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune that Laquan “lunged at police”.
Van Dyke was arrested and charged on 24 November, hours before the city released the footage. Protests ensued, and largely remained peaceful.
In response to public criticism over how the Laquan McDonald case was handled, Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, fired the police chief, Garry McCarthy. President Barack Obama said he was “deeply disturbed by the footage”.
Van Dyke’s attorney, Dan Herbert, said his client had feared for his life and that the video did not provide a complete account of the shooting.
The officer was held in a Cook county jail for six nights before posting $150,000 for his $1.5m bond.
“Anyone who is there to uphold the law cannot act like they’re above the law,” said Emanuel at a press conference ahead of the video’s release.
“I want to say one thing: there are men and women both in leadership positions and in rank and file who follow and live by that principle every day. Jason Van Dyke does not represent the police department.”
This week, as pressure has grown over his response to police shootings in the city, Emanuel ended a vacation in Cuba early. He was scheduled to return to the city on Tuesday.
Last weekend, Chicago police shot and killed two people. Police said one, a mother of five, was killed accidentally.
Police have not said how many officers fired their weapons or what happened before they opened fire on Bettie Jones, 55, and Quintonio LeGrier, 19, at about 4.25am on Saturday.
The Justice Department announced earlier this month that it would launch a civil rights investigation into the Chicago police department.
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