Cop's Trial In Laquan McDonald Shooting To Start In Summer: Judge

CHICAGO, IL — A Cook County judge said Wednesday the trial for the Chicago police officer accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014 should begin this summer, according to the Chicago Tribune. Officer Jason Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery, a count for each time McDonald was shot. He also faces a count of official misconduct.

During a court hearing Wednesday, Judge Vincent Gaughan said he wanted Van Dyke's trial to begin this summer so that the weather would be good and not impede people arriving to the courthouse, the Tribune reports. But he didn't commit to a specific date for the trial to begin, the report added.

"I want the weather to be the best," the judge said. "That’s something we have a little bit of control over."

Van Dyke's lawyers also filed a motion for a change of venue in an attempt to move the trial out of Cook County and potentially have jurors from another hear the case, the report stated. But Gaughan called the defense's admission that a polling expert's report on the change venue wouldn't be ready until May unacceptable and demanded it be available by mid-April, the report added.

Van Dyke's murder trial stems from the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting of McDonald during an incident on the South Side. Initial police reports claimed the teen was swinging a knife and lunging at Van Dyke before the officer opened fire.

Patch's Coverage of the Laquan McDonald Case:

5 Perspectives on '16 Shots: The Death of Laquan McDonald': A ward of the state, shot dead on a Chicago street. A teen who loved his teachers. A mayor who won't lead. Questions no one will answer.

Chicago Cop Accused Of Killing Teen Faces New Charges: Officer Jason Van Dyke now faces 16 counts of aggravated battery stemming from the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old in 2014.

Jason Van Dyke Must Attend Hearings: Judge: But the judge presiding over Officer Jason Van Dyke's murder trial vowed to beef up security at the courthouse so defendant was safe.

3 Chicago Cops Indicted In Alleged Cover-Up Of Shooting:The special prosecutor accuses the trio of doing more than obeying a "code of silence" surrounding the shooting investigation.

Accused Chicago Cop's Interview Ordered Sealed: PLUS: A look at the latest developments in the murder case surrounding the 2014 police-involved shooting that killed a 17-year-old boy.

Laquan McDonald Case: No More Police Indictments, Prosecutor Says: The grand jury investigating an alleged Chicago police cover-up in the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old has been dismissed.

But a police dashboard camera told a different story. In the video, McDonald is not seen as aggressively moving toward Van Dyke, and instead, he's seen walking away from Van Dyke when he is shot 16 times. Officers at the shooting are accused of signing reports that stated a knife-wielding McDonald advanced toward police before he was shot.

More via the Chicago Tribune

Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke leaves court in December of 2015 after pleading not guilty to first-degree murder charges stemming from the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October of 2014. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images)