Transcript for Chicago cop who killed black teen takes the stand
Now to that dramatic testimony in the trial of Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke facing murder charges for killing 17-year-old laquan McDonald. The case sparking nationwide outrage and protests. Alex Perez is in Chicago with the latest. Good morning, Alex. Reporter: Hey, robin, good morning. This is the first time we hear Van Dyke talk in-depth about the shooting. He maintains he fired his weapon because he feared for his life. It was the chilling video that gripped the country sparking massive protests, dash cam footage showing Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old laquan McDonald 16 times on a Chicago street killing him. This morning, the officer taking the stand in his own defense for the first time. His face had no expression. His eyes were just bugging out of his head. He had these huge white eyes just staring right through me. Reporter: Jason Van Dyke testifying he feared for his life and fired because McDonald ignored repeated commands to drop a 3-inch knife. I shot at that knife. I wanted him to get rid of that knife. Reporter: Officers were responding to a call about a man breaking into cars. Van Dyke and his partner followed McDonald who was high on pcp for several blocks, prosecutors zeroing in on why Van Dyke told his partner he would shoot the teen. Why did you say to him, oh, my god, we’re gonna have to shoot the guy? I thought the officers were under attack. The whole thing was just shocking to me. Reporter: Officer Van Dyke claims McDonald was lunging at him and tried to get up after he was shot. Prosecutors say the video proves otherwise. Was there any point in that video where laquan McDonald was trying to get up? It may not show it but it wasn’t from my perspective. I was coming at a completely different angle. Reporter: Van Dyke pressed on why he kept shooting after McDonald collapsed. To me it seemed like he was getting back up. Reporter: And Van Dyke could learn his legal fate very soon. The case is expected to go to the jury sometime this week. Robin. All right, Alex, thank you.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
