CHICAGO - The video of the Laquan McDonald shooting is so central to the murder trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke that jurors watched it at least five times during the initial day of testimony.
The first was just 15 minutes into opening statements Monday.
The footage from the October 2014 shooting shows the white officer open fire as the black teenager walks away from police with a small knife in one hand. McDonald was shot a total of 16 times.
The video appears to contradict the initial claims of Van Dyke and other officers that McDonald had lunged at them with a knife.
Defense attorneys said Van Dyke acted as he was trained.
Prosecutors stressed that no other officers opened fire. They are to continue presenting evidence on Tuesday.