Ex-Chicago officer who killed Laquan McDonald leaves prison

CHICAGO (AP) — The former Chicago police officer who was convicted in the shooting death of Black teenager Laquan McDonald has been released from prison after serving less than half of his sentence.

Camile Lindsey, chief of staff for the state Department of Corrections, said in an email that Jason Van Dyke was released at 12:15 a.m. Thursday from the Taylorville Correctional Center, in central Illinois.

Van Dyke, who is white, was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in October 2018. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. According to CNN, he was released early due to good behavior.

The conviction came about three years after a judge ordered the city to release video footage that showed Van Dyke firing 16 bullets into the teenager’s body.

Some people, including top elected lawmakers, have reportedly called for Van Dyke to be prosecuted at the federal level.

However, according to CNN, some members of McDonald’s family are ready to move forward.

“We never asked for revenge, we asked for justice. And in the case of Jason Van Dyke we feel we got justice, because he got prosecuted for the crime that he did. He did not do the amount of time that we felt like he should have done, but he did get prosecuted,” McDonald’s great-uncle, Rev. Marvin Hunter, told CNN.