The Chicago Police Department has released a dash-cam video showing the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
CNN is working to review the video. Please check back for updates.
McDonald was shot 16 times by an officer in October 2014. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday in McDonald’s death.
In a statement, police said they hadn’t released the video sooner because it had been evidence in an active criminal investigation.
“We did not want to do anything that might interfere with the ongoing investigation,” the statement said. “For example, releasing a video during a pending investigation has the potential to compromise eyewitness testimony because witnesses may adjust their testimony to fit what they or others perceive in the video.”
Daniel Herbert, an attorney representing the officer, told reporters that the case should be tried in court, not in the media or on the streets.
“People viewing this videotape will have the brilliance and benefit of hindsight 20/20 vision,” Herbert said.
“This is not a murder case, despite what you heard in the courtroom. It’s truly not a murder case, and we feel that we will be very successful in defending this case,” the attorney said.