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Mayor Rahn Emanuel And Chicago Police Superintendent McCarthy To Release Police Shooting Video

Source: Scott Olson / Getty

The jury deciding Officer Jason Van Dyke’s fate arrived at the Leighton Criminal Court about 9:15 a.m. to resume deliberations. A Cook County jury convicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder in the shooting of Laquan McDonald.

Judge Vincent Gaughan will not revoke Van Dyke’s bail as punishment for showing up late to court Thursday evening.

The officer was late getting to the courtroom to hear a question jurors sent Gaughan, provoking the judge’s ire. Van Dyke said he was dealing with a threat made to one of his daughters. Gaughan asked him to return Friday morning with proof that the threat was credible.

Van Dyke’s lead attorney, Daniel Herbert, told the judge Friday morning that the daughter’s school had put her into the “police room,” presumably to protect her after students started walking through the halls asking “which one is Jason Van Dyke’s daughter because we are going to get her.”

The students also passed out photos of the daughter, Herbert said, adding that a police report had been made.

Van Dyke acknowledged that he left the courthouse in the early afternoon Thursday without telling his attorneys after hearing about the incident.

“This time I am going to let it go,” an irritated Gaughan told Van Dyke.

The judge, however, ordered Herbert to stay in the Leighton Criminal Court Building all day Friday with Van Dyke.

Gaughan allowed Herbert to gather some possessions from his car in the meantime.

The eight-woman, four-man jury deliberated about 7 ½ hours over two days before reaching its verdict.1:59 p.m. Van Dyke also convicted of 16 counts of aggravated battery.

The jury also convicted Van Dyke of all 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for every shot he fired at Laquan McDonald.

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