CHICAGO — The video-recorded killing of Tyre Nichols that led to charges against police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, stirred echoes in Chicago, where eight years ago another recorded death similarly sent shock waves across the nation and spurred public demand for police reform.
In the case of Laquan McDonald, a teenager fatally shot by a uniformed Chicago police officer in October 2014, release of graphic video provoked public outrage and immediate criminal charges against the officer, Jason Van Dyke, reigniting the embers of resentment in Chicago and calls for accountability against police.
The McDonald case led to years of reform efforts, including the departmentwide rollout of body-worn cameras and a 2019 federal consent decree mandating reforms in Chicago police training, use of force, data management and other areas. But lawyers who have been involved in the consent decree say slow reform efforts create an environment similar to the one that led to Nichols’ death in Memphis.
