CHICAGO | A judge on Thursday acquitted three Chicago police officers of attempting to cover up the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald, deciding that the shocking dashcam video of the black teenager’s death did not necessarily tell the whole story.
In shedding the prosecution’s entire case, Judge Domenica Stephenson appeared to accept many of the same defense arguments that were rejected by jurors who in October convicted officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder and aggravated battery. He is set to be sentenced Friday.
The judge said the video represented just one perspective of the confrontation and that there was no indication the officers tried to hide evidence.
“The evidence shows just the opposite,” she said. She singled out how they preserved the graphic video at the heart of the case.
McDonald’s family questioned how the two cases could produce such different decisions. His great uncle, the Rev. Marvin Hunter, told reporters that the verdict means “that if you are a police officer you can lie, cheat and steal.”
“To say that these men are not guilty is to say that Jason Van Dyke is not guilty.” He added: “It is a sad day for America.”
Prosecutor Ron Safer said the case put on trial the department’s “code of silence,” which until recent years city officials denied even existed.
“The next officer is going to think twice about filing a false police report,” Safer said. “Do they want to go through this?”
The shooting has provoked periodic street protests since 2015, when the video came to light, and the acquittals could renew that movement.
“We will be down here tomorrow by the hundreds, and we will cry out for justice for Laquan,” activist Eric Russell said.
The trial was watched closely by law enforcement and critics of the department, which has long had a reputation for condoning police brutality and misconduct.
Officer Joseph Walsh, officer Thomas Gaffney and detective David March were accused of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice. All but Gaffney have since left the department.
