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                  Chicago Cop Pleads Not Guilty in Murder Case

   by Associated Press

   A white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the 2014 fatal
   shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald pleaded not guilty in court
   Tuesday in the U.S. Midwest's largest city.

   Jason Van Dyke faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of
   official misconduct in the 17-year-old's death.

   He appeared in front of Judge Vincent Gaughan in Cook County Criminal
   Court and was dressed in a dark suit and blue striped tie. The next
   hearing is set for January 29.

   Van Dyke's defense attorney, Dan Herbert, said his client was "hanging
   in there'' and wants to tell his side of the story so that he's not
   seen "as this cold-blooded killer.'' Herbert also said they haven't
   ruled out asking for a change of venue.

   Cook County attorneys were not available for comment after the
   arraignment.

   Public outcry has been furious since a dashcam video was released last
   month showing the veteran officer shooting McDonald 16 times. The
   teenager, armed with a knife, was veering away from officers when Van
   Dyke opened fire.

   The footage sparked days of street demonstrations, the forced
   resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and a broad federal
   civil rights investigation of the police department's practices and how
   allegations of officer misconduct are handled.

   More deadly shootings

   Over the weekend, Chicago Police shot and killed two other people, a
   55-year-old woman who was shot accidentally and a 19-year-old man whom
   police have said was "combative'' before he was shot. The department
   will not say how many officers fired their weapons or what the two
   people were doing before they were shot.

   Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been the target of heavy criticism and
   calls for resignation since the McDonald video was released last month,
   is due to return Tuesday afternoon from a family vacation in Cuba.

   Herbert also said policy changes in the Chicago Police Department,
   which Emanuel's office has hinted at and may include more education,
   would be beneficial.

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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/chicago-cop-pleads-not-guilty-in-murder-case/3123089.html