Chicago braces as ‘graphic’ video of white police officer shooting black teenager 16 times set to be released

Chicago is bracing itself for the anticipated release this week of video footage that shows a white police officer shooting dead a black teenager.

Community leaders and senior and government and police officials have been meeting to discuss how to handle the release of the video, which has been described as graphic and violent and “difficult to watch”.

The footage shows the fatal shooting in October 2014 of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Officials say he was shot in the back 16 times, with some of the bullets striking him as he lay on the pavement.

Last week, a court ruled that officials with Chicago, where there has been long tension about the conduct between elements of the police department and black residents, must release the footage by November 25 - Wednesday.

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Over the weekend, African American leaders came together to call for calm, anxious that their city does not become another Ferguson or Baltimore, which were both rocked by protests that started peacefully but turned violent, following the death of black suspects at the hands of police.

Among those who turned out in a show of strength were members of Alpha Phi Alpha, an African American fraternity which counts many of the city's leaders among its ranks.

“We want people to see the positive professional males that are in our community,” Rev Roosevelt Watkins, of Pastors United for Change, told ABC.

“Chicago is on the tipping point. We can be just like Ferguson.”

The police officer involved in the shooting of the teenager, Jason Van Dyke, is still working on desk duty, while the city completes its investigation.

Police say the teenager was carrying a knife. The shooting took place while officers responded to a report of vehicle break-ins in a trucking yard.

But veteran activist Rev Jesse Jackson has called for the officer to be charged and had said there is a need for an overhaul of the city’s police department. “The police department is no longer credible,” he said.

Cook County State’s prosecutor Anita Alvarez has said a decision is expected this week on whether or not to charge Mr Dyke over the shooting. NBC said charges would be announced on Tuesday.

Torreya Hamilton, a civil rights lawyer who has sued the Chicago Police Department, said the city’s efforts to fight the video release reflect a persistent problem with transparency.

“Most officers deserve to wear the badge, but for some reason we fail to hold accountable those who don’t,” she told CNN. “That is a system problem.”

In his ruling last week, Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama said the city had failed to prove that the release of the video would interfere with any ongoing investigations.

Reports in the US media said people who have seen the footage say the images are graphic and show Mr McDonald being repeatedly shot while lying on the ground.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office issued a statement last week that criticised the officer.

“Police officers are entrusted to uphold the law, and to provide safety to our residents,” it said. “In this case unfortunately, it appears an officer violated that trust at every level.”

The city has already reached a settlement with Mr McDonald's family, agreeing in April to pay $5m, even though the family had not filed a lawsuit.

John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, said the video “could tear Chicago apart.”