A Chicago police officer was found guilty of second degree murder and of 16 counts of aggravated battery in connection to the shooting death of African-American teen Laquan McDonald four years ago.
Jason Van Dyke was on trial for the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting death of McDonald.
He was found not guilty of official misconduct.
McDonald, who was 17 years old at the time, was shot 16 times by the officer.
Van Dyke’s bail was revoked and he has been taken into custody. His next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 31.
Video that was released during the course of the investigation showed that McDonald was armed with a knife but did not appear to be moving towards the officers.
Van Dyke faced charges of first degree murder, aggravated battery (one count for each shot) and police misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty and was suspended without pay.
Chicago police tweeted that thousands of officers are “ready to safeguard neighborhoods and defend the rights of peaceful demonstrations” ahead of the announcement of the verdict.
