16 Shots

The police shooting of Laquan McDonald forces Chicago to prepare for potential riots. We piece together details from McDonald’s too-short life and hear from Officer Jason Van Dyke in his first interview since the shooting.

Judge Vincent Gaughan sentences Jason Van Dyke to 81 months in prison. It means he’ll likely serve about 3 years. The officer celebrates with his attorneys. Young activists are angry and struggle to make sense of it.

Judge Domenica Stephenson finds 3 Chicago police officers did not lie in their reports to cover-up for Jason Van Dyke the night he killed Laquan McDonald. Defense attorneys call her courageous. Activist Will Calloway says the code of silence extends to judges. And we hear from Van Dyke jurors as his sentencing approaches.

Defense attorneys present just one witness and some documents. That comes after 7 prosecution witnesses over 4 days. The sides make their closing arguments and Judge Domenica Stephenson says she’ll announce a verdict December 19.

Attorneys give their opening statements in the conspiracy trial of officers who were on the scene when Jason Van Dyke killed Laquan McDonald and a detective who led the investigation of the shooting. We take a closer look at the judge who will be deciding guilt in the case, Cook County Judge Domenica Stephenson, and her relationship with one of the defense attorneys.

A month and a half after Jason Van Dyke was convicted of murder, three other Chicago police officers face trial for conspiring to cover-up for him. Prosecutors say the officers’ reports exaggerated the threat Laquan McDonald posed. Defense attorneys say this was a “good case with a little bit of bad paper.”

On the Sunday after the verdict, we go to two Chicago churches in very different neighborhoods and hear their very different takes on Van Dyke, the shooting and the trial. We hear from Laquan’s friends and are surprised at what we find when we go back to the scene of the shooting at 41st and Pulaski.

The jurors talk to reporters about why they convicted Van Dyke. Activists express thanks for the guilty verdict and Van Dyke’s attorney Dan Herbert says cops are now going to stay in their cars.

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has been found guilty of second-degree murder and on all 16 counts of aggravated battery.

Lawyers gave their closing arguments Thursday in the murder trial of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald.

We examine the defense’s case and hear about what Chicago police officers are saying about the trial.

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke took the stand in his own defense in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald.

After four days of defense witnesses, one key person has not testified: Officer Jason Van Dyke. We explore the potential costs and benefits of Van Dyke testifying and we look at a previous police shooting in which he gave testimony under oath.

Lawyers for Officer Jason Van Dyke called witnesses Thursday to testify about PCP, police training, and McDonald’s behavior hours before the shooting.

A truck driver who called 911 took the witness stand and described fighting off a knife-wielding man moments before Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shot Laquan McDonald.

The defense presented a computer-generated video that showed the shooting of Laquan McDonald from the perspective of Officer Jason Van Dyke.

Lawyers for Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke called their first witnesses on Monday. One big question remains: Will Van Dyke take the stand?

Our panel of experts reviews the prosecution's case and answers questions about the trial.

An expert on police use of deadly force testified that Jason Van Dyke didn’t need to shoot Laquan McDonald.

The third day of testimony in the murder trial of Officer Jason Van Dyke focused on Laquan McDonald’s autopsy. We also explore the demeanor of Judge Vincent Gaughan.

The prosecution continued to call witnesses Tuesday, including Jason Van Dyke’s partner the night of the shooting. We bring you more details from the second day of testimony.

In opening statements, prosecutors said Officer Jason Van Dyke didn’t need to shoot and the defense said Laquan McDonald was out of control. We bring you more from the first day of testimony.

The 12 jurors and 5 alternates have been picked to decide Jason Van Dyke’s fate. With only one black juror, the racial makeup is controversial. We explore how the jurors were picked -- and what we know about them.

Judge Vincent Gaughan began to interview potential jurors on Monday. The first five were selected. We discuss what the prosecution and defense are looking for. NOTE: A previous version of this episode contained an error. It was about the defense argument for excluding an African American woman from the jury. What the defense attorney actually stated as the reasons for excluding her were that she lives in the same part of the city that Laquan McDonald did, has children roughly the same age as he was, and she allegedly would shift the burden of proof from the prosecutors to the defendant. We regret the error.  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Calibri; color: #1e497d} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke had his bond raised by $2,000 because of what he said in media interviews the week before the trial. A judge agreed with prosecutors that Van Dyke violated court orders not to discuss the case publicly. This story is part of 16 Shots, a podcast about the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, the trial of Officer Jason Van Dyke, and the troubled relationship between African-Americans and the Chicago Police Department. To hear all the episodes, subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald had to pay an additional $200 to stay out of jail because of what he said to local media in the days leading up to the trial. Judge Vincent Gaughan said Thursday that Jason Van Dyke violated the case’s “decorum order” with what he said in interviews last week to the Chicago Tribune and Fox 32 Chicago. You can hear parts of Van Dyke’s interview with the Tribune in the first episode of 16 Shots. Van Dyke, 40, faces first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and official misconduct charges in the Oct. 20, 2014 shooting death of McDonald on Chicago’s Southwest Side. The officer wasn’t charged until city officials were forced in November 2015 to release a police dashcam video of the white cop shooting the black teen. Bond was initially set at $1.5 million, and Van Dyke spent six nights in Cook County Jail before his father posted the required $150,000. One of the conditions of his release was that he obey all court orders while awaiting trial. On Jan. 20, 2016, Gaughan issued a decorum order, which set strict limits on the public dissemination of possible evidence and public comment outside the courtroom by anyone involved in the case. Gaughan has enforced such secrecy in some of his other high-profile cases, including the 2008 trial of singer R. Kelly. Prosecutors claimed Van Dyke violated that decorum order when he spoke to the media in what they portrayed as a self-defense argument without being questioned on the witness stand. But defense attorney Randy Rueckert argued that Van Dyke only gave interviews because of the avalanche of publicity against him since the shooting. Gaughan ruled in favor of the prosecutors and raised bond by $2,000, which means Van Dyke had to pay another $200 to stay out of jail. An attorney for #JasonVanDyke leaves the courtroom with a bag holding personal items of the officer —including a belt and rings. Sheriff’s spokeswoman says Van Dyke will be processed at jail and released today if he posts the $200 in extra bail money. #LaquanMcDonald— Chip Mitchell (@ChipMitchell1) September 6, 2018 Van Dyke walked out of the courthouse with his father about an hour later. The high-profile trial started Wednesday when about 200 potential jurors were given questionnaires and told to come back Monday. Gaughan is expected to interview potential jurors next week. Van Dyke’s defense team can still opt to have a bench trial, with a judge deciding his fate, until the last juror is sworn in. But if they choose a jury trial, Gaughan must find 12 people he thinks can reach a verdict based only on trial evidence — not past or current media coverage. Van Dyke’s defense team has argued that will be impossible in Cook County. They have filed a motion to move the trial outside the county, but Gaughan won’t rule on that change-of-venue request until after efforts are made to find an impartial jury at the Chicago courthouse. That selection process will continue Monday, when the judge will interview potential jurors. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Jason Van Dyke’s trial started Wednesday. We take you inside the courtroom for the start of jury selection and outside where protesters gathered in force.

The trial of Jason Van Dyke begins today. We profile the lawyers and the judge. Two Chicago legal veterans tell us the moves they expect each side to make. And we ask what this trial means for Chicago.

A day before the trial of Jason Van Dyke, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a surprise announcement - he won’t seek a third term in office. The mayor has faced intense scrutiny for how he handled the shooting of Laquan McDonald. We discuss the announcement and hear reaction.

Protesters take to the streets of Chicago after officials release the a video of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting Laquan McDonald. Critics attack the mayor and police department. A federal investigation finds a pattern of abuse by Chicago officers.

The fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald aggravated longstanding tensions between Chicago police and the city’s black residents. We look at how a troubled police department spun a narrative of the shooting, how that narrative fell apart, and how the city reacted when it did.

Almost four years ago, Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, was fatally shot by Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago Police officer. Police reported McDonald was attacking officers. A video from the scene told a different story. Trust in Chicago police and officials crumbled. Now, Officer Van Dyke is awaiting trial for murder charges. WBEZ and the Chicago Tribune bring you the story of the shooting and the fallout. Then, stay tuned for ongoing coverage of the trial. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single episode.