CHICAGO (AP) — Defense attorneys will continue calling witnesses in the murder trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke listens during his trial for the shooting death of Laquan McDonald at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. Lawyers for the white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting of McDonald, a black teenager, opened their defense case Monday with a witness questioning the thoroughness and accuracy of the autopsy. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)
The trial resumes on Tuesday.
A forensic pathologist who testified Monday for the defense criticized the official autopsy results. Shaku Teas’ testimony seemed to contradict what the video of the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald shows. The white officer shot the black teenager 16 times.
Teas said she believes at least 12 of the 16 shots fired by Van Dyke hit McDonald before the teen was on the ground.
Prosecutors rested their case last week and defense attorneys started presenting theirs Monday. Besides the forensic pathologist, the defense called county juvenile detention and sheriff’s department workers who testified about the teen’s history of violent behavior.
It remains unclear whether Van Dyke will testify.
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