Police

Former Chicago Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Laquan McDonald Sentenced To 6 3/4 Years In Prison

Former Chicago police officer Jason VanDyke was sentenced to 6 ¾ years in prison for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Published

6 years ago

January 19, 2019

Unheard Voices Staff

Laquan McDonald

Former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was sentenced to 6 ¾ years for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Table of Contents

Jason Van Dyke sentenced

Judge Vincent Gaughan issued his sentence Friday for Van Dyke who was convicted in October of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each shot Van Dyke fired that struck McDonald.

Details of sentencing

Estimates of the sentence Van Dyke might have gotten had varied wildly.

The murder charge carries a prison term of four to 20 years, but Gaughan also could have given Van Dyke probation for that count.

An aggravated battery charge carries a sentence of six to 30 years behind bars and does not allow for probation alone.

The sentencing comes a day after another judge acquitted three other officers who had been accused of covering up for Van Dyke and lying to support his version of events.

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Unheard Voices Staff

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to broadening into a recognized Black online media outlet. The company is one of the few outlets dedicated to covering social justice issues. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.