Laquan Joseph McDonald was 17 when he was fatally shot in Chicago on October 20, 2014. The shooting occurred at about 9:57 p.m. and involved Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Initial police reports said McDonald had been behaving erratically, wielding a knife, and lunging at officers. A dashcam video later contradicted that account, showing McDonald walking away from the officers when he was shot 16 times.

The dashcam footage was withheld from the public for over a year and was released by court order on November 24, 2015. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder that day and held without bail; he was released on bail on November 30, 2015. The city of Chicago settled with McDonald’s family for $5 million in April 2015.

Van Dyke’s state trial began on September 17, 2018, and after a verdict on October 5, 2018 he was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. He was sentenced in January 2019. The case prompted widespread protests, criticism of the city’s handling of the footage, and federal and state investigations.