Chicago Mayor Apologizes for the 2014 Police Shooting of Laquan McDonald

By Cheri Cheng - 09 Dec '15 15:02PM

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has apologized for the police shooting of black teenager, Laquan McDonald, in his speech on Wednesday amid the rising tensions within the city.

"If we're going to fix it, I want you to understand it's my responsibility with you," Emanuel said to the City Council. "But if we're also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step, and I'm sorry."

Although McDonald was fatally shot by Officer Jason Van Dyke last year, the video clip of the shooting, which was recently released, reignited people's anger with city and police officials. In the video, the officer can be seen shooting at McDonald as he is moving away. The officer, who took 16 shots, can be seen shooting at the teenager when he was already down on the floor.

Since the video was released, Emanuel asked for the resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Emanuel has also committed to revamping the Chicago Police Department. He started a five-person task force that will be in charge of recommending reforms for the department.

Emanuel continued in his speech, per the Chicago Tribune:

"Nothing, nothing can excuse what happened to Laquan McDonald. Our city has been down this road before. We have seen fatal police shootings and other forms of abuse and corruption. We took corrective measures but those measures never measured up to the challenge.

This problem is sometimes referred to as the Thin Blue Line. Other times it is referred to as the code of silence. It is the tendency to ignore, deny or in some cases cover-up the bad actions of a colleague or colleagues. No officer should be allowed to behave as if they are above the law just because they are responsible for upholding the law. Permitting and protecting even the smallest acts of abuse by a tiny fraction of our officers leads to a culture where extreme acts of abuse are more likely, just like what happened to Laquan McDonald."

Van Dyke has since been charged with murder. The Department of Justice will be investigating the Chicago Police Department.