CHICAGO, Dec. 24 (UPI) — Chicago police sought the use of a Taser on Laquan McDonald moments before he was shot to death, a newly released audiotape reveals.
Video taken from a dashboard camera indicated police opened fire on 17-yera-old McDonald on Oct. 20, 2014, as he walked away while holding a knife during a confrontation with police. Law enforcement suspected him of breaking into vehicles.
Release of the video prompted widespread protests, led to the firing of Chicago Police Supt. Gerry McCarthy and the arrest of Officer Jason Van Dyke on murder charges.
Why police did not use a Taser to subdue McDonald, instead of deadly force, has been an issue in the case. The audio recordings of conversations between police and the police dispatcher, obtained by WMAQ-TV, Chicago, indicate officers on the scene requested the arrival of someone with a Taser device. Only police sergeants are allowed to carry Tasers.
The dispatcher can be heard regularly requesting updates as McDonald was followed by police.
“Does someone have a Taser? This guy is walking away but he’s got a knife in his hand,” a police officer can be heard saying.
The dispatcher then requests the assistance of any nearby officers with a Taser to “help out.”
Within seven minutes of the first radio call, McDonald was shot. The audio recording does not make clear if any officers had arrived by then with a Taser.
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