Casepin
Back to cases

Case file

Murder of Laquan McDonald

SOLVED2014Near 41st Street and Kildare Avenue, Chicago, Illinois3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the night of October 20, 2014, Chicago police responded to reports that Laquan McDonald, 17, was carrying a knife and breaking into vehicles near 41st Street and Kildare Avenue. When officers confronted him, McDonald damaged a patrol vehicle's tire and windshield with a knife and then walked away from officers despite verbal commands to drop the weapon. Officer Jason Van Dyke arrived on scene, exited his vehicle, and within about six seconds began firing. Video later showed McDonald was walking away from Van Dyke when the first shot struck him; McDonald spun and fell, and Van Dyke continued firing as he lay on the ground. In total, Van Dyke fired 16 shots in 14–15 seconds. No other officer at the scene discharged a weapon. McDonald was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead at 10:42 p.m. An autopsy found nine of the sixteen shots struck his back and ruled his death a homicide. Toxicology reports found PCP in his blood and urine.

Initial police reports described McDonald as "crazed" and stated he had lunged at officers, and internal review deemed the shooting justifiable; Van Dyke was not charged at the time. These accounts were contradicted after journalist Jamie Kalven and attorney Craig Futterman raised concerns following a whistleblower's account, and after freelance journalist Brandon Smith and activist William Calloway filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the dash-cam video. When the city denied the request, Smith sued, and on November 19, 2015, a Cook County judge ordered the video released. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan had informed police that they could not lawfully withhold it. The video was released on November 24, 2015—more than 13 months after the shooting. That same day, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced that Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder. He was held without bail for six days before being released on $150,000 (10 percent of a $1.5 million bond).

The City of Chicago approved a $5 million settlement with McDonald's family in April 2015, before any lawsuit was filed and before the video's public release. Separately, three Chicago police officers—David March, Joseph Walsh, and Thomas Gaffney—were charged with conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice over an alleged cover-up; a judge found them not guilty on January 17, 2019.

Van Dyke's trial began in September 2018. On October 5, 2018, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and acquitted him of official misconduct. He was sentenced on January 18, 2019, to 81 months in prison. He was released early in February 2022 after serving about 39 months, citing good behavior.

The case prompted sustained protests, a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department (report issued January 2017), the firing of police superintendent Garry McCarthy, and the electoral defeat of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez in 2016. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who had won reelection before the video's release, faced calls for resignation but remained in office.

Key facts

Victims
Laquan McDonald
Date
2014
Location
Near 41st Street and Kildare Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1997-09-25

    Laquan McDonald is born.

  2. 2014-10-20

    Laquan McDonald, 17, is shot 16 times by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital.

  3. 2015-04-15

    Chicago City Council approves a $5 million settlement with McDonald's family.

  4. 2015-11-19

    A Cook County judge orders the city to release the dash-cam video of the shooting no later than November 25.

  5. 2015-11-24

    The dash-cam video is publicly released; Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder and turns himself in.

  6. 2015-11-30

    Van Dyke is released on bail after posting $150,000.

  7. 2015-12-16

    A grand jury indicts Van Dyke on six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct.

  8. 2015-12-30

    Radio recordings of the incident are released to Politico and NBC Chicago via Freedom of Information Act requests.

  9. 2016-03

    Anita Alvarez loses her bid for reelection as Cook County State's Attorney.

  10. 2017-01

    The U.S. Department of Justice releases a report describing a Chicago police culture of excessive violence and poor training and supervision.

  11. 2017-03-23

    Charges against Van Dyke are updated to six counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery.

  12. 2017-06-27

    Three Chicago police officers, David March, Joseph Walsh, and Thomas Gaffney, are charged with conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice.

  13. 2018-09-17

    Jason Van Dyke's trial begins.

  14. 2018-10-05

    Van Dyke is found guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and acquitted of official misconduct.

  15. 2019-01-17

    March, Walsh, and Gaffney are found not guilty of conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice.

  16. 2019-01-18

    Van Dyke is sentenced to 81 months in prison.

  17. 2022-02-03

    Van Dyke is released from prison after serving 39 months, citing good behavior.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • David March

    ACQUITTED

    Lead detective charged with conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice over an alleged cover-up; found not guilty on January 17, 2019.

    citation on file

  • Thomas Gaffney

    ACQUITTED

    Chicago police officer charged with conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice; found not guilty on January 17, 2019.

    citation on file

  • Jason Van Dyke

    CONVICTED

    Chicago police officer convicted on October 5, 2018, of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for the shooting of Laquan McDonald; sentenced to 81 months in prison.

    citation on file

  • Joseph Walsh

    ACQUITTED

    Van Dyke's partner on the night of the shooting, charged with conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice; found not guilty on January 17, 2019.

    citation on file

  • Laquan McDonald

    VICTIM

    17-year-old fatally shot 16 times by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke on October 20, 2014.

    citation on file

Places

Near 41st Street and Kildare Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

41.8180, -87.7240

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On October 20, 2014, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times as McDonald walked away from him. A dash-cam video of the shooting was withheld from the public for more than a year before a court ordered its release in November 2015, the same day Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder. In 2018 he was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery.
Where did the murder happen?
Near 41st Street and Kildare Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
Who was convicted?
Jason Van Dyke (Chicago police officer convicted on October 5, 2018, of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for the shooting of Laquan McDonald; sentenced to 81 months in prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Murder of Laquan McDonaldwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
More cases in Illinois