Many interesting comments, one sample below.
The verdict came in October — a rare murder conviction for an officer in an on-duty shooting. But on Friday the sentence of less than seven years for Jason Van Dyke — and the possibility that he may serve only half of that — led McDonald's family and at least one activist to question whether justice had been done and the right message sent to other officers.
William Calloway, who was instrumental in the legal battle that led to the release of the dashcam video in 2015, described the penalty as "a slap in the face to us and a slap on the wrist" for Van Dyke.
The sentencing came a day after a different judge acquitted three officers accused of lying about the shooting to protect Van Dyke, who was probably the first Chicago officer ever found guilty in the shooting of an African-American. That verdict also disappointed many Chicagoans who hoped convictions would help eradicate a code-of-silence culture that dates back decades among officers in the nation's third-largest city.
Van Dyke, 40, was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery — one for each bullet fired at the 17-year-old McDonald.