Laquan McDonald’s Killers Plead Not Guilty

A Chicago police officer and two former officers pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiring to cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald.

According to The Hickory Record, a Chicago police officer and two former officers pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiring to cover up what happened the night a white officer killed a Black teenager, Laquan McDonald, by shooting him 16 times.

Joseph Walsh, David March and Thomas Gaffney are accused of quickly coordinating their stories to protect themselves and other officers following the 2014 death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. The men said little during the brief hearing, which marked their first court appearance since being indicted last month.

The indictment alleges the officers lied when they reported the teen aggressively swung a knife and tried to get up, while still armed after he was shot by Officer Jason Van Dyke. But police dashcam video shows the teen was walking away from officers with a small knife by his side when he was shot.

The video — which wasn’t publicly released until a year after the shooting — also shows that Laquan was spun to the ground as Van Dyke repeatedly fired. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, and the city agreed to pay Laquan’s family $5 million.

Cook County Judge Diane Cannon allowed the men to stay out of jail Monday by releasing them on their own recognizance, but she ordered that they be finger printed. Cannon, a former prosecutor, was assigned to the case after another judge quickly recused herself without explanation earlier Monday.

If convicted of the most serious charge, official misconduct, the men could face up to 5 years in prison.

As you can see from the circumstances surrounding the plea, the white justice is eager to protect white cops. Just imagine how the same  court session would look for a Black person.