iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — The Chicago Police Department has moved to fire a group of officers for their involvement in the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald.
In a statement released Thursday, the Chicago Police Department said it had reviewed reports on the case by the city’s inspector general, who alleged that the officers filed false police reports. The department said it was accepting the recommendations of the inspector general to sack seven of the officers.
Two of the 10 officers cited in the I.G. reports have since retired.
The department further said it “respectfully disagrees” with the recommendation to fire the 10th officer because of “insufficient evidence to prove those respective allegations.”
The decision now heads to the city’s Police Board for a final determination, the department said.
“The Chicago Police Board is an independent civilian body that oversees certain activities of the Chicago Police Department,” according to its website. “The nine members of the board are private citizens appointed by the mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council.”
The move comes after the Chicago Police Department announced earlier this week the departure of two high-ranking members, First Deputy Chief John Escalante and Deputy Chief David McNaughton, who were key players in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old McDonald.
McDonald was shot 16 times on Oct. 20, 2014, according to an autopsy. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged in November with the first-degree murder of the black teen and is awaiting trial. He has been suspended without pay, a Chicago Police Department spokesperson told ABC News.
Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty.
Police dashboard-camera footage showing the fatal exchange between the police officer and McDonald caused national protests after the police department released it last November. The video showed that McDonald was armed with a knife but was not moving toward the responding officers when he was shot.
In the wake of national outrage over the case, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired the former superintendent of police and hired Eddie Johnson in March.
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