'Justice for Laquan!': Jury Finds Chicago Cop Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

[guillaumeb]

'Justice for Laquan!': Jury Finds Chicago Cop Guilty of Second-Degree Murder for Fatally Shooting Black Teen 16 Times

From the article:

Activists and residents of Chicago chanted "Justice for Laquan" after a jury on Friday found a white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, guilty of second-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old African-American Laquan McDonald 16 times on the evening of Oct. 20, 2014.
The Cook County jury also found Van Dyke guilty of all 16 counts of aggravated battery while finding him not guilty of official misconduct. Each aggravated battery count carries a sentence of six to 30 years, which he may be required to serve consecutively. As Van Dyke awaits sentencing, the jury's decision was praised by local activists working to eradicate police brutality.

To read more:

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/05/justice-laquan-jury-finds-chicago-cop-guilty-second-degree-murder-fatally-shooting?cd-

[Midnight Writer]

1. "Not guilty of official misconduct"? I guess because he waited 20 seconds at a contained scene

before shooting the kid 16 times. As a dozen or more other officers at the scene felt no need to fire. As the kid was walking away. And another officer interrupted him as he was reloading?

What the hell do you have to do for official misconduct?

[guillaumeb]

2. The sentence was a gift.

As Van Dyke and his partner were driving to the scene, Van Dyke talked of the probable need to "put the kid down". Is this not premeditation? It should have been, in my view, murder in the first degree.