Chicago officials have released a video of a white police officer fatally shooting a black teenager last year. The move follows a judge's order last week to release the squad car dash-cam footage. Seventeen-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014. Police say he refused to drop a knife.
State's attorney Anita Alvarez said of the video: "it is graphic, it is violent, it is chilling." She added that it will "tear at the hearts" of Chicagoans. But she appealed for calm, saying she wants young people to know that authorities are listening to their concerns about policing and justice.
Some worry the images could lead to the kind of unrest seen in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, and other cities after young black men were slain by police or died in police custody.
Lawyers who have seen the video say it shows McDonald with a small knife and walking away from officers. They say Officer Jason Van Dyke opened fire from about 15 feet and kept shooting after the teen fell to the ground.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy urge calm, asking residents to be peaceful in their protests.
Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting.
