Because of deadly gunfire on a 17-year-old African American, a former police officer in Chicago has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. 81 months in prison in the US state of Illinois and then two years on probation are appropriate, said judge Vincent Gaughan yesterday.
Three accused of conspiracy, misconduct and obstruction of justice colleagues were acquitted on Thursday. Former police officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of manslaughter by a jury in October. He was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty. The death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald led to mass protests against police violence and racism in the third-largest city in the US.
Van Dyke had shot the 17-year-old in October 2014. Only a year after the fact, video footage published by judiciary showed that the light-skinned man fired 16 times at the young man who was trying to run away from him with a knife in his hand. As a result, in November 2015, thousands of people took to the streets in Chicago. After the protests, including the police chief of the city in the US state of Illinois was released.
