CHICAGO (AP) - The Latest on the trial of a Chicago police officer charge with murder in the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald (all times local):
2:10 p.m.
A doctor testifying in the trial of a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the death of Laquan McDonald says it’s impossible to determine the exact order of the wounds the black teenager suffered from 16 shots that were fired.
Dr. Ponni Arunkumar is Cook County’s chief medical examiner. She testified Wednesday about each gunshot wound as jurors viewed autopsy photos of them. She said that when the entrance and exit wounds are added, there were “24 holes on Laquan.” That’s because eight of the shots left both exit and entrance wounds.
Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in McDonald’s death. Video from the October 2014 shooting shows Van Dyke opening fire as McDonald walks away from police with a small knife in one hand.
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11:50 a.m.
Jurors are viewing autopsy photos of black teenager Laquan McDonald after he was shot by a white Chicago police officer.
The photos were shown as Cook County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar testified Wednesday about McDonald’s gunshot wounds. She said he had 16 total.
Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in McDonald’s death. Video from the October 2014 shooting shows Van Dyke opening fire as McDonald walks away from police with a small knife in one hand.
Arunkumar was describing each gunshot wound for the jury. The first wound that was shown to jurors was a bullet graze to the head. She says that wouldn’t have killed the teenager. But she says it’s impossible to determine the order of the gunshots in such cases because the shooter and the person being shot are in “constant motion.”
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11:20 a.m.
Witnesses are testifying about the science behind the death of black teenager Laquan McDonald after he was shot by a white Chicago police officer.
A nurse said Wednesday that McDonald arrived at a hospital with no pulse or heartbeat. A paramedic testified about providing medical care to McDonald on the way to the hospital. And an Illinois State Police forensics expert has testified about bullets and shell casings found at the scene, which all came from the same gun.
Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in McDonald’s death. Video from the October 2014 shooting shows Van Dyke opening fire as the 17-year-old walks away from police with a small knife in one hand.
Prosecutors have stressed no other officers who encountered McDonald opened fire. Van Dyke’s attorneys say he was afraid for his life and acted as he was trained.
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11:30 p.m.
Testimony is expected to resume in the murder trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.
In the first two days of testimony, the case was dominated by officers and former officers who were at the scene in October 2014 when the white officer shot black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times.
The officers, including Van Dyke’s partner Joseph Walsh, were asked why they did not shoot as Van Dyke did.
Walsh, who is no longer on the force, has been charged along with other officers with trying to cover up what happened. He was forced to testify Tuesday.
With the trial set to resume Wednesday, a big question is whether jurors will hear from two others - an officer and a former officer - who face cover-up charges.
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