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Three Cops Indicted For Conspiracy In Laquan McDonald Case

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Two current and one former member of the Chicago Police Department were indicted on multiple charges of attempting to cover up the actions of Officer Jason Van Dyke, who fatally shot Laquan McDonald in 2014, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“The indictment makes clear that these defendants did more than merely obey an unofficial ‘code of silence,’ rather it alleges that they lied about what occurred to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth,” said Special Prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes in a news release, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and official misconduct were brought against all three men. The indictment was released Tuesday.

A dash cam video from the shooting of the 17-year-old was released as evidence, but the indictments claim that the men messed with the integrity of the video. They thought the video “would inexorably lead to a thorough criminal investigation by an independent body and likely criminal charges.”

Two of the men have a 20-year history with the police department, while the other is a of more than 30 years. The men are scheduled to come before the court on July 10.

McDonald was shot 16 times in October 2014 by Van Dyke who was responding to a call that McDonald was breaking into cars to steal radios. According to the Tribune, the officers on the scene reported that McDonald was walking away with a knife. Once Van Dyke stepped out of the car, he fired shots at McDonald within seconds and then proceeded to empty his gun.