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Jason Van Dyke, the convicted murderer, was placed under the sheriff's guard on Friday and escorted out of the courtroom.
And Chicago exhaled.
Businesses closed early and commuters left the city center, but the dreaded riots never materialized. The demonstrations, too, remained peaceful.
And inside the courthouse, the special attorney who was convicted by Van Dyke predicted that Chicago would heal wounds inflicted by the 17-year-old Laquan McDonald's shooting death.
Because this case never concerned a single policeman.
Police scandals in Chicago came and went. But since the court ordered the release of a police video on the dashboard showing Van Dyke filming McDonald's as he walked down a southwestern street with a knife, the city is facing an unequaled political and social account in recent decades.
Police Commissioner Garry McCarthy was fired. Voters removed Cook County Attorney Anita Alvarez from office. Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose not to run again.
Three other Chicago police officers have been accused of conspiring to conceal what really happened on Pulaski Road on the night of October 20, 2014, and should be tried at the end of next month. In addition to this criminal case, the entire police department is subject to federal oversight as a result of an investigation by the US Department of Justice into the shooting.
The video galvanized the city's activist community, many of whom promised to maintain their momentum after Van Dyke's conviction.
"The responsibility stops here," said activist William Calloway, who played a key role in the video's release. "The responsibility stops in Chicago."
Van Dyke incarcerated after a jury found him guilty of second degree murder and grievous bodily harm for each of the 16 shots »
A Cook County jury found Mr. Van Dyke guilty of second degree murder and 16 counts of serious bodily harm with a firearm for the death of McDonald's. This verdict marks the first time in over 50 years that a Chicago police officer is convicted of murder for an incident in service.
To make their historic decision, the jurors relied heavily on the video of the dashcam showing Van Dyke, a White man, firing 16 shots at McDonald, a black teenager who seemed to be moving away from the agents. Although the breed was not explicitly mentioned during the testimony, some witnesses made subtle references to the color of the skin.
Special Attorney Joseph McMahon surprised many people in his opening statement when he accused Van Dyke of having shot McDonald's because he was a "black boy" who had the audacity to ignore the police.
McMahon, the Kane County Lawyer, in the suburbs, named because of conflicts of interest from Cook County attorneys, told reporters after the verdict that he thought he It would have been wrong to ignore the long broken history between the minority communities and the Chicago Police Department. .
"None of us examined this case and did not understand that there was an element of race in this conversation," he said. "This question has permeated the relationship between law enforcement and many communities. I think it was important to talk about what was honest here. That's why I said it.
Still, McMahon insisted that McDonald's shooting and the conversations she had begun could ultimately help the city heal.
"The verdict is an opportunity for this city to come together," he said.
The verdict, the demonstrations, the relief of a family: how did the conviction of the officer Jason Van Dyke unfold "
However, healing can take a long time. Representatives of state and local police unions condemned the verdict. The president of the Order of Fraternal Police of Illinois even claimed that jurors had been "duped".
"It was a day I never thought I would see in America, where 12 ordinary citizens were deceived to save the butts of selfish politicians at the expense of a dedicated civil servant," said President Chris Southwood in a statement. "What policeman would still want to be proactive in fighting crime after this disgusting charade, and are law-abiding citizens willing to pay the price?"
But many jurors told reporters that this responsibility seemed to them a privilege. They described their deliberations as respectful and harmonious
"Every morning, I boarded the bus and the train, and saw hundreds and hundreds of my fellow Chicagoers, and wondered how I ended up in this jury." a man. "There are all these people and I do this job and nobody knows it. It was really amazing.
Most of the jurors agreed to meet with the journalists in the courtroom after the hearing, but did not consent to their names being revealed. They sat in front of the jury, Judge Vincent Gaughan staring from the bench.
The forewoman, a white woman, said that she knew, before being selected to be part of a jury, that the case had attracted the attention of the national and international authorities. local. She had to discipline herself to take into account only the evidence before her rather than her knowledge of the outside circumstances – for example, the reason why some officers were testifying in immunity from prosecution.
But what really made her sense of "deep duty," she said, was to see the faces in the audience room every day.
"I know I did not sleep for three weeks. I thought about it constantly because of its impact, "she said. "Every day we came in and looked at two families. We saw Jason Van Dyke's family and Laquan McDonald's family. And I could not come in here without thinking about it every day. "
The case was largely a video of the dashcam that described the filming as it unfolded, as well as the testimony of Van Dyke in which he was trying to defend his actions.
Jason Van Dyke trial judges say the officer's request for self-defense does not match the video "
The video, shown dozens of times to jurors during the trial, showed Van Dyke and his partner on the scene as McDonald's head south in the middle of Pulaski Road, a folding knife of 3 inches. As their car arrived about 20 meters from McDonald's, Van Dyke briefly opened the passenger door before his partner, Joseph Walsh, stopped further down the street. The two jumped with their guns fired.
Six seconds after Van Dyke got out of the car, he took a step towards McDonald's – reducing the distance to about 12 feet while the teenager continued to walk at an angle from him – and opened fire. McDonald turned and fell on the sidewalk, his body making only small movements as more balls seemed to hit him.
Van Dyke kept firing for at least 12 seconds while McDonald was lying on the street, emptying the 16 rounds in his body, prosecutors said.
Van Dyke told the jury that he had been forced to make a decision in a split second to shoot McDonald's, the teenager posing a threat and ignoring the command to drop the knife.
The jurors found that Van Dyke's testimony was repeated and unconvincing. Some even wondered if her tears at the bar were sincere.
"His memory and the facts in evidence did not align," said a juror, a white man.
A few hours after the conviction, the Chicago Police Board issued a statement reminding the public that Van Dyke and four other officers were still at risk of being fired.
While Van Dyke's trial focused solely on his actions, a trial scheduled for next month could have a much broader scope, calling into question the so-called "code of silence" of the police.
Three of Van Dyke 's officers will be brought to justice under the charge of plotting to conceal the circumstances of the shooting.
Walsh, former detective David March and officer Thomas Gaffney all "submitted virtually identical false information" that exaggerated the threat posed by McDonald, according to a recently unsealed record of special prosecutors handling their case. All three are accused of obstruction of justice, professional misconduct and conspiracy.
And they "failed to conduct a meticulous and accurate investigation" in order to conceal what really happened the night McDonald was shot, according to the record.
According to prosecutors, the case goes further than the fake police reports. The officials also provided inaccurate information to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, the Illinois State Police and by email. On the evening of the shootings, detectives would have watched the video of the camera with Van Dyke at the headquarters of the area, while it had not yet been interviewed by investigators of the independent control authority police, the city agency who then investigated the shootings by the police.
An anonymous sergeant sent an email to a lieutenant, telling him that Van Dyke "did exactly what he was trained for. We should applaud it and not guess it, "according to the record.
At a press conference after Van Dyke's conviction, union president Kevin Graham, who represents Chicago's most prominent police officers, said he spoke with dozens of agents on Friday, all still behind Van Dyke.
"They all wanted Jason to be the best," said Graham. "They all felt that he should not be sentenced, those with whom I spoke, and they hoped the verdict would have been different."
Van Dyke's senior lawyer, Daniel Herbert, said his client would appeal the decision. He also predicted that the outcome of the trial would have a deterrent effect on police officers.
"It 's really a sad day for the forces of order," Herbert said. "I can only imagine if the police think they can never shoot against someone who was acting the same way as Laquan McDonald … Police officers will become security officers . They will not go out and confront anyone. "
Reverend Marvin Hunter, McDonald's great-uncle, hailed the verdict as a turning point in the country's civil rights history.
During a 20-minute speech at the Grace Memorial Baptist Church shrine on the west side, Mr. Hunter said the family would be better able to forgive Van Dyke when the sentenced officer will ask. sorry.
"This family has never asked for revenge," Hunter said. "This family wanted justice because vengeance belongs to God and it belongs to God alone. We do not participate in that. "
Instead, Hunter urged supporters to direct their anger toward the voting booths at the next city council races. In a contract with the police, he often denounced a "law" limiting the power of police officers to dismiss bad cops.
"I tell you, Chicago and the United States, let's start healing. But do not heal and do not become docile. Let us heal and become motivated and activated, "Hunter said.
Juan Perez Jr. and Jeremy Gorner of the Chicago Tribune also contributed.
MORE: Laquan McDonald's troubled life and ephemeral potential | Meet the jury, the judge and the lawyers | How did the shooting go? | Listen to the podcast "16 shots" | Lawyers competing in the lawsuit have a very different style | Van Dyke expresses for the first time since filming | Judge known for his intelligence, his sharp tongue and his discreet style | Video of the shoot | Full Coverage Tribune
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