Laquan McDonald: White officer who shot black teenager 16 times calls murder charge 'political'

'I’m disappointed because this was an effort to gain public opinion to be on his side,' says Chicago activist William Calloway

Laquan McDonald (AP)

The white Chicago police officer charged with murder over the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald has accused prosecutors of bowing to "political" pressure in bringing the case.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune – which the newspaper reports was “tightly controlled” by his defence team and a public relations strategist – Jason Van Dyke recounted the first moments returning home after shooting Mr McDonald 16 times on a street in Chicago.

The officer, who is currently suspended, said he is “not a racist” and that the image painted of him has been a “great false narrative” and “political”.

“I think there’s been a lot of external political pressures,” he said. “It just seems like politics has been involved with this since the beginning.”

Mr Van Dyke’s interview comes days before a jury is set to be selected for his murder trial. He was charged with first-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Van Dyke was arrested in November 2015, a year after the shooting and on the same day that a video showing him shooting Mr McDonald 16 times was publicly released. The release of the dashcam video sparked widespread protests.

The city's police chief Garry McCarthy was fired in 2015 amid public backlash over the handling of the shooting.

William Calloway, a local Chicago activist who worked with journalist Brandon Smith and attorney Craig Futterman to have the dashcam video released, told The Independent that he was “disappointed” about Mr Van Dyke’s new public interview released just days ahead of jury selection.

“Everybody has a right to free speech,” he said. He added: “I’m disappointed because this was an effort to gain public opinion to be on his side.”

The officer told the newspaper that the night of the shooting was his “darkest day” and that he would not have fired his gun unless he thought his or another citizen's “life was in jeopardy”. He claimed he had "never had to fire his weapon" in 15 years as a patrolman.

Mr Calloway and other Chicago activists are planning a peaceful demonstration outside the Chicago courtroom as jury selection is set to begin 5 September. The group, Justice 4 Laquan, will also use their social media presence to keep the public informed on the trial proceedings, he said.