Barack Obama Releases A Statement About Laquan McDonald

 

President Barack Obama took to his Facebook page Wednesday (November 25) to release a statement about the newly released dash-cam video footage detailing the fatal encounter between 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and officer Jason Van Dyke.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy asked residents to remain calm while first-degree murder charges were handed down to officer Van Dyke. The nearly six-minute video, which shows the 37 year old white officer shooting the black teen 16 times ignited passionate and peaceful protests in Chicago.

In his statement, the president said he was “deeply disturbed” after seeing the video, but also thanked residents of his hometown for remaining calm during this highly sensitive time.