URL http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/06/c_137513557.htm

DATE/ AUTHOR 2018-10-06 00:00:00	AUTHORS: 

H Chicago police officer found guilty in fatally shooting black teenager - Xinhua

S1 Demonstrators protest against last year's shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white policeman in the downtown shopping district of Chicago, the United States, Nov. 27, 2015.
S2 (Xinhua/He Xianfeng)

S3 CHICAGO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder in fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald four years ago.

S4 Jurors reached the verdict on Friday afternoon for the high-profile trail as Chicago police enhanced their presence in the city, bracing for possible protests and even violence in case of a not guilty outcome.

S5 Learning the verdict, demonstrators erupted in cheers outside the courthouse, chanting, "Justice for Laquan.
S6 Justice for Laquan."

S7 White police officer Jason Van Dyke shot 17-year-old McDonald 16 times in 2014, which triggered racial tension for years in Chicago, the third largest city in the United States.

S8 McDonald reportedly broke into a truck on the night of Oct. 20, 2014 and Jason Van Dyke was one of police officers dispatched to the scene.
S9 McDonald carried a knife but walked from police when Van Dyke fired 16 shots into the teenager, the police car's dashcam video showed.

S10 The jury reached the second-degree murder verdict instead of first-degree, which means they found the officer believed his life was in danger at that time but the belief was unreasonable and his reaction was unjustified.

S11 Jurors told media later that the officer's claim of self-defense did not match video footage and they could not buy it.

S12 Second-degree murder carries a sentence of 4 to 20 years, said special prosecutor Joseph McMahon, who called the verdict "gratifying" and justice for Laquan McDonald and his family.

S13 Van Dyke was also found guilty of 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

S14 "The end of this trial offers an opportunity for this city to come together," McMahon added.

S15 However, Van Dyke's lead attorney, Daniel Herbert, said he wasn't surprised by the verdict and vowed an appeal on the judge's refusal to move the trial outside Cook County because of the extensive pretrial publicity.

S16 He argued that it was "a sad day for law enforcement."

S17 Hundreds of people marched along a main avenue in downtown Chicago after the verdict, interrupting traffic.
S18 But the demonstration remained peaceful so far.

