16 Chicago police officers helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald: report

The city of Chicago released a report revealing 16 police officers were involved in covering up the murder of Laquan McDonald.

The watchdog report showed a vast cover-up in 2014 to protect officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot the 17-year-old McDonald, reported the Chicago Tribune.

Van Dyke gave false statements “to exaggerate the danger McDonald posed," the documents reveal.

“Our residents have a right to understand the decisions being made by their government. The release of these documents today represents the first of many steps we are taking to ensure our City operates with nothing short of the highest levels of transparency," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to over six years in prison.

According to the report, he “made numerous false statements and material omissions," but that was contradicted by dashcam video and security videos from the Dunkin' Donuts.

The objective evidence presented in the video cannot be squared with Van Dyke’s claim that McDonald was “attacking Van Dyke with a knife” and “attempting to kill” him.

In addition, Van Dyke made multiple material omissions... In particular, Van Dyke failed to state that McDonald was walking away from him prior to the shooting.

Van Dyke's false statements were even approved by former Sgt. Stephen Franko. They helped "establish the false narrative" that it was McDonald who first attacked Van Dyke.

Other officers lied to cover for Van Dyke, helping to “mischaracterize the events leading up to the McDonald shooting, and to thereby bolster[ing] a false narrative which might offer justification for the shooting.”

Even former Chicago Police Department lieutenant Anthony Wojcik is blamed for “improperly disposed” of handwritten notes from detectives who spoke to three civilians who witnessed the shooting. Before disposing of them, though, he “personally recreated the reports.”

Read the full report here.