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Lawyer: Don't judge Chicago officer based on shooting video

Posted November 20, 2015 6:00 am

The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) - An attorney for a white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager 16 times says his client acted lawfully and urges the public not to rush to judgment based solely on a video of the shooting that's to be released within days.

Attorney Dan Herbert told reporters Friday that Officer Jason Van Dyke is - in his words - "scared to death." Herbert says the officer is concerned about the safety of his wife and two school-age children in the event the video prompts violence.

A judge on Thursday ordered the city to release squad car dashcam video of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald's 2014 shooting.

Herbert says the video doesn't capture the whole confrontation.

Van Dyke has been stripped of his police powers, but remains at work on desk duty.

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