Lawyers for three Chicago police officers charged with impeding an investigation into the fatal police shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald said Thursday they plan for a Cook County judge to decide the outcome of the officers' trials, not a jury.
Judge Domenica Stephenson set the trial tentatively for July 10, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The charges against former Detective David March, ex-Officer Joseph Walsh, and Officer Thomas Gaffney allege that the three officers lied to exaggerate the threat posed by 17-year-old McDonald, who had PCP in his system and had damaged a police car while armed with a knife.
The special prosecutors appointed to handle the case told Stephenson on Thursday that they anticipate the trial for all three will take less than a week. They face charges of obstruction of justice, official misconduct and conspiracy.
