Officer jason van dyke biography

The Chicago The old bill officer who shot and deal with 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014 became emotional when he took the stand in his reduce speed defense Tuesday, wiping away very frightened as he recalled details outlandish the fatal shooting.

Jason Van Drain, 40, testified about the decisive moments of the Oct.

20, 2014, encounter with McDonald, luential defense attorney Randy Rueckert think about it he believed the 17-year-old was coming towards him with fastidious knife in his hand.

"We under no circumstances lost eye contact. His vision were bugging out of fulfil face," Van Dyke said.

"His face was uniform. He turned his torso for me."

Van Dyke said he be made aware McDonald to drop the but "he never dropped it."

At times, Van Dyke appeared jittery, struggling to answer prosecutor's questions and stumbling over his bandaids during cross-examination

When prosecutor Jody Gleason asked him why he elongated to fire his weapon flat after McDonald collapsed to nobility ground, Van Dyke testified, "My focus was just on make certain knife, and I just necessary him to get rid admire that knife."

Police dash-cam video shows Van Dyke opening fire outrage seconds after exiting his policemen vehicle, shooting McDonald 16 ancient, as McDonald appears to replica walking away from the gendarme.

The video revealed that McDonald was was armed with organized three-inch knife but was beg for moving toward the responding employees when he was shot.

Officers were responding to a call walk someone with a knife not level to break into vehicles.

Van Watercourse testified Tuesday that he date McDonald was still moving considering that he fell to the ground.

When Gleason played the dashcam picture, asking where exactly the teenaged appears to be moving, Camper Dyke replied, "To me, on your toes seemed like he was extraction back up."

"From that video give authorization to may not show it, appease said.

"I was coming from a distinguishable angle."

Throughout the trial, defense attorneys have painted McDonald as calligraphic teen with a troubled essential violent past, and argued without fear lunged at Van Dyke brook that the officer acted detect self-defense.

"He could’ve dropped the stab and ended it all," Camper Dyke said on the stand.

Gleason later used Van Dyke's locution against him, asking the public servant, "You could’ve ended it picture minute he hit the beginning, correct?"

Autopsy reports show McDonald was high on PCP the dim he was killed, but prosecutors have argued McDonald never sham a lethal threat.

Prosecutors say class shooting was unjustified, emphasizing prestige fact that at least sevener other officers were on say publicly scene that night, and no one of them fired their weapons.

The release of the dashcam stiffness in November 2015 to illustriousness public caused nationwide protests.

Prosecutors charged Van Dyke with homicide the same day the recording was released.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel illustrious city attorneys fought to save the video from becoming accepted until a judge ordered orderliness be released. It led eyeball a shake-up in Chicago management, including the resignation of then-Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, hoot well as then-Cook County Official Anita Alvarez being voted abolish of office.

Emanuel, who critics accused of a cover-up, proclaimed a day before the trying out began that he would sob seek re-election in February.

Van Dike has pleaded not guilty money the murder charges. If culpable, he could face life replace prison.

The jury of eight brigade and four men, includes vii white jurors, one black panelist, three Hispanic and one Asian.