The Latest: Prosecutor in Chicago police case seeks recusal

CHICAGO (AP) - The Latest on the case of a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting of a black teenager (all times local):

10:30 a.m.

Cook County's embattled state's attorney has asked to recuse her office from prosecuting a case involving a white Chicago police officer who shot a black teenager 16 times.

If the judge approves, it would clear the way for the appointment of a special prosecutor, which activists and civil rights attorneys have demanded. Cook County Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan said Thursday that announce his decision about the request June 2.

Outgoing State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has faced months of criticism over her handling of the case and why it took more than a year to bring charges.

Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. The release in November of video contradicted police accounts of the shooting and set off protests.

Alvarez has defended her handling of the case.

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7 a.m.

The attorney for a Chicago police officer charged in the shooting death of a black teenager has asked for sheriff's deputies to guard the officer as his client enters and exits court.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/1QSlWDM ) that Officer Jason Van Dyke's attorney, Daniel Herbert, made the request in a court filing made public Wednesday. Herbert previously asked a judge to allow Van Dyke to skip routine court appearances, citing safety concerns.

The judge could consider those issues, as well as a request for a special prosecutor to take the case, during a Thursday hearing.

Civil rights attorneys and activists have criticized Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez for waiting over a year to charge Van Dyke and want her to be removed from the case. Alvarez has defended her handling of police cases.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com