Chicago Police Dept. Moves To Fire 5 Officers Over Laquan McDonald Shooting

Chicago's police superintendent is moving to fire five officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old LaQuan McDonald in 2014 — one who pulled the trigger, and four who are accused of giving false statements about what happened.

McDonald, who was black, was shot 16 times by officer Jason Van Dyke. Other officers said that McDonald had lunged at police before he was shot. But dashcam footage of the incident — released under a court order — contradicted their testimony.

Van Dyke, who is white, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bond, NPR's David Schaper reports.

Now Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is seeking the dismissal of Van Dyke, as well as four other officers accused of giving false statements during an investigation into the shooting.

Chicago's inspector general had recommended that 10 officers be fired for the shooting — Van Dyke and nine others.

Of those officers, four have since either resigned or retired. In the case of one officer, a police spokesman said, there was "insufficient evidence" to prove that the officer willfully lied during investigations.

Johnson has filed administrative charges with the Chicago Police Board to request the dismissal of the five officers.