A white police officer has been convicted of murdering a black teenager after firing 16 bullets into him during a confrontation.
The death of Laquan McDonald in 2014 triggered months of protests in Chicago and America’s third-largest city is braced for more trouble after the verdict.
Officer Jason Van Dyke’s conviction is the first time in 50 years that a Chicago police officer has been convicted of murder for an on-duty death.
He repeatedly fired at 17-year-old Laquan as the knife-wielding teen appeared to be walking away from officers.
The killing was caught on camera and showed officers surround Laquan on a city street in October 2014.
Witness Rudy Barillas said he called police after the teenager tried to stab him when he caught him breaking into vehicles.
Police said they arrived and he was slashing car tyres and a stand-off ensued.
They were waiting for someone to arrive with a stun gun to use on the teenager when 40-year-old Van Dyke showed up. Read more