PD Editorial: How not to handle a police shooting

Those who had little time during the buildup to Thanksgiving to see the disturbing images of a 17-year-old Chicago youth shot and killed by a police officer can be forgiven if they reached some false assumptions. One would be to give the city of Chicago credit for releasing the video and being upfront about the conduct of the officer, who faces first-degree murder charges.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The handling of this video, in fact, is a textbook example of how to bungle a volatile incident of critical importance and spread distrust of how cities handle officer-involved shootings, particularly those caught on film. Sonoma County, Santa Rosa and other cities that are equipping deputies and officers with uniform cameras should take note.

First, it’s worth remembering this video was not taken recently. This was shot 13 months ago and was only released under orders by a judge who gave police until Thanksgiving to comply. The shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, which was captured on a squad-car video camera, occurred on Oct. 20, 2014, just two months after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., which set off weeks of protests. This case is particularly disturbing as the video shows McDonald, who was armed with a pocket knife, turning away from the officers just before one, identified as Jason Van Dyke, fires 16 rounds in 14 seconds.

Second, the Chicago Police Department had objected to the release of the dash-cam video on grounds that it could jeopardize its ongoing investigation into the shooting. Yet the city took the unusual step back in April to pay $5 million to the McDonald family, before the family had even filed a lawsuit. It was clear the city had reached the same conclusion as many viewers have now, that there’s no defense for this.

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said it well last week in announcing, just hours before the release of the video, that murder charges have been filed against Van Dyke. “It is graphic. It is violent. It is chilling,” she said. “To watch a 17-year-old young man die in such a violent manner is deeply disturbing. I have absolutely no doubt that this video will tear at the hearts of all Chicagoans.”

Third, the video only was made public thanks to the efforts of Brandon Smith, a freelance journalist who had sought the release under the Freedom of Information Act and had filed a lawsuit in August to force the Police Department to comply. A judge ruled in his favor.

Finally, in a move of remarkable pettiness, Smith was singled out and barred from joining Tuesday’s news conference with the mayor and police superintendent that was held prior to the release of the video.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy acknowledged at that news conference that those in the public “have a right to be angry.” Yes, angry about the shooting and angry about the intentional and indefensible efforts to prevent the public from seeing what actually happened.