COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A special grand jury will likely convene by November to hear evidence against Chicago Police officers on the scene the night Laquan McDonald was killed.
Officer Jason Van Dyke, who fatally shot McDonald 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014, faces charges of first-degree murder and official misconduct. To date, no other officers have been charged despite widespread allegations of a cover-up.
Cook County Judge LeRoy K. Martin Jr. appointed longtime attorney and former judge Patricia Brown Holmes as the special prosecutor who will investigate the other officers on the scene with Van Dyke.
Earlier this month, Holmes requested a special grand jury to decide whether charges should be filed against the officers. While Martin initially said he hoped to convene the jury by Monday, he now estimates the process could be complete by mid-November.
"There's a little more involvement to [the process] than I first anticipated," Martin said during a status hearing Monday, adding that he wants to make sure all "t's are crossed and i's are dotted" before he proceeds with jury selection.
Holmes, who previously handled the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal, said she hopes to proceed in a timely manner moving forward.
"It's important for closure," Holmes told reporters after the hearing Monday. "The matter has been pending for years. It's a delicate balance though. I don't want to rush, but then I don't want to still be doing this five years from now. It's a matter of doing a good job."
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson last month moved to have Van Dyke and several other officers fired over allegations they lied following the shooting of McDonald.
The teen had been stealing car radios and was armed with a three-inch blade on Oct. 20, 2014, when Chicago Police officers in Archer Heights called in a radio request for a Taser, prosecutors have said.
Van Dyke and his partner responded to the call, but never specified whether they had a Taser. Within seconds of arriving on the scene, Van Dyke pulled his gun and emptied his clip into McDonald, shooting the teen 16 times. Video of the shooting, which was released via a court order in November 2015, sparked protests that shut down the Mag Mile, among other major streets.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
