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Laquan Joseph McDonald

Case from Chicago, IL dated Oct 20, 2014

Victim Details

Laquan Joseph McDonald

Male

Black / African American

Chicago

IL

2014-10-20

17

Laquan

Joseph McDonald

07/09/2026

Case Description

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Laquan Joseph McDonald, a 17-year-old African American male, was fatally shot on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. The incident occurred at approximately 9:57 p.m. when McDonald was confronted by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Initial police reports claimed that McDonald was behaving erratically, wielding a knife, and lunging at officers, which led to the shooting being deemed justifiable at the time. However, this narrative was later disproven by a dashcam video that showed McDona ...
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Links to Additional Sources (7)

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  • Chicago Tribune: ‘It felt like a war’: Laquan McDonald police shooting 10 years ago shocked Chicago, rippled through halls of power
  • Chicago Tribune: The complicated, short life of Laquan McDonald
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    Forum Posts (3)

    I've been following the Laquan McDonald case closely, and I can't stop thinking about the role of po... ...Read More
    01/07/2025
    I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of transparency in the Laquan McDonald case and how profou... ...Read More
    12/20/2024
    Hey everyone. I've been thinking about the community's response after the release of the dashcam foo... ...Read More
    11/27/2023
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