Illinois Court Rejects Bid to Resentence Officer in Laquan McDonald Shooting
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday voted 4-2 to reject a bid by prosecutors to resentence a former Chicago police officer for the controversial shooting death of Laquan McDonald.
March 19, 2019
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday voted 4-2 to reject a bid by prosecutors to resentence a former Chicago police officer for the controversial shooting death of Laquan McDonald.
Officer Jason Van Dyke was sentenced in January to six years and nine months in prison for the murder of the teen in 2014. He was convicted last year of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count for each shot fired at the teen in the October 2014 incident.
The dissenting judges said they believed Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan improperly interpreted case law when he sentenced Van Dyke for the second-degree murder charge, not the aggravated battery with a firearm.
Under Illinois statute, the aggravated battery charge is the more serious one. With the high court's ruling, Gaughan's sentencing will stand, USA Today reports.
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