White Chicago cop will reportedly be charged with black teen's murder

The Chicago police officer responsible for the 2014 shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald will be charged with murder Tuesday, The Associated Press reports.

Anonymous sources close to the investigation revealed to media outlets that Officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, will be charged with first-degree murder at a bond hearing Nov. 24, according to The Washington Post. It has been 35 years since the last time a Chicago police officer was charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality, The Chicago Tribune notes.

The announcement comes one day before the court-ordered release of dashcam footage of the October 20, 2014 shooting. The video reportedly shows McDonald holding a small knife as he walks away from law enforcement. People who have watched the clip say that Van Dyke, who is white, shot McDonald, who was black, 16 times from a distance of approximately 15 feet.

McDonald’s autopsy report confirmed that he was shot at least twice in the back, The AP notes. The medical examiner also found PCP, a hallucinogenic drug, in the young man’s system.

Over 1,000 people have been reported killed by police this year, a disproportionate number of them black.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m. ET: A state prosecutor charged Officer Jason Van Dyke with first-degree murder Tuesday, The New York Times reports.