Crime & Safety
Laquan McDonald Shooting: New Judge Assigned In Cop Cover-Up Case
Cook Co. Judge Domenica Stephenson will handle the case against a trio of Chicago cops stemming from the 2014 incident,
CHICAGO, IL — A new judge was assigned Tuesday to preside over the case involving three Chicago police officers facing state felony charges in connection with allegedly trying to cover up details surrounding the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Cook County Judge Domenica Stephenson will be overseeing the case against Detective David March, 58, and patrol officers Joseph Walsh, 48, and Thomas Gafney, 43, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Last month, the trio was charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice stemming from the Oct. 20, 2014, fatal shooting of McDonald by Officer Jason Van Dyke on the South Side. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the incident. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)
Initial police reports claimed the teen was swinging a knife and lunging at Van Dyke before the officer opened fire. But a police dashboard camera video showed a different story. In that footage, McDonald is not seen aggressively moving toward Van Dyke, and instead, the teen can be seen walking away from the officer when he is shot 16 times.
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The charged officers at the shooting are accused of signing reports that stated a knife-wielding McDonald advanced toward police before he was shot. March had been the lead detective in the shooting investigation, and Walsh, who was put on administrative leave in December of 2015, was Van Dyke's partner.
RELATED: 3 Chicago Cops Indicted In Alleged Cover-Up Of Laquan McDonald Shooting
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Stephenson replaces Judge Diane Gordon Cannon after Special Prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes filed a motion last week to replace the justice, the Sun-Times reports. Cannon, who many felt favored the prosecution, was randomly filling in for Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan, who had recused herself from the case, the report added.
Screen shot from Chicago police dashboard camera video showing the shooting for Laquan McDonald. (Image via Patch archive)
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