Calls grow for Chicago officer who killed a Black teenager to face federal charges

Calls grow for Chicago officer who killed a Black teenager to face federal charges

Transcript¹

"Sixteen shots and a cover-up" was the rallying cry after a video showed a Chicago police officer killed a black teenager in 2014. On Thursday, Jason Van Dyke² gets an early release from prison.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Today a former Chicago police officer walks out of prison. Jason Van Dyke was sentenced to just under seven years in prison and served just over half. He was convicted for shooting and killing³ teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014. Activists⁴ do not think the former officer spent enough time in prison and want to see federal civil rights charges next.

NPR's Cheryl Corley is covering the story. Cheryl, good morning.

CHERYL CORLEY, BYLINE⁵: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: I guess we should note this ended up being a murder conviction, so just under seven years does sound a little bit short to some people. He could've received a much longer sentence. How did this come about?

CORLEY: Well, it's because a jury found Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated⁶ battery. Prosecutors⁸ had asked for a longer term, for 18 to 20 years on the aggravated battery convictions, but Judge Vincent Gaughan sentenced Van Dyke to 81 months. As you mentioned, activists here called that a slap on the wrist. Chicago-Kent College of Law professor Richard Kling says it was interesting.

RICHARD KLING: Here's the craziness of the situation. He was found guilty of second-degree murder. And what the judge ruled is second-degree murder sounds like the more serious charge than aggravated battery.

CORLEY: But under Illinois law, aggravated battery is a much more serious charge than second-degree murder. You can get more time. You have to spend more time in prison. But the judge opted⁹ to sentence on that less serious charge. And because Van Dyke received day-to-day good time credit, he was able to serve just a little over three years and get out of prison earlier.

INSKEEP: Well, let's remember the details of the case for which he was convicted, given that it's been years since it happened in 2014.

CORLEY: Yeah. October of 2014, a police dispatcher reported a Black teenager was breaking into cars, carrying a knife. Officer Van Dyke arrived at the scene, almost immediately jumped out of his car. He fired 16 shots at Laquan McDonald, killing him. And many of those shots hit McDonald after he was already on the ground.

You know, the thing about this case is the political overtones. A dashcam video of the shooting wasn't released until a year later under court order. Critics charged it was a cover-up to get through a mayoral election. And there was this huge fallout. The police superintendent¹⁰ at the time was fired. The county's top prosecutor⁷ was voted out of office. And the mayor at the time, Rahm Emanuel, was sharply criticized for how he handled this case, and he decided¹¹ not to seek a third term. And the police department must make mandated¹² reforms under a consent decree.

INSKEEP: But the officer walks away after a little more than three years in prison. So we have a Black teenager killed by a white officer. How likely is it that federal courts would get - or federal prosecutors would get involved?

CORLEY: Well, it might be difficult, but those who are calling for it - the NAACP, Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH and others - point to the federal trial underway in Minneapolis, where the three officers in the George Floyd case who are accused of violating Floyd's civil rights by not preventing his murder by former officer Derek Chauvin - they say the same thing should happen with Jason Van Dyke, that he violated the civil rights of Laquan McDonald. But getting those types of charges has been tough for federal prosecutors. They have to prove that an officer willfully broke the law and that their actions weren't the result of a mistake.

INSKEEP: Cheryl, thanks for the update. Really appreciate it.

CORLEY: You're welcome.

INSKEEP: That's NPR's Cheryl Corley in Chicago.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

9 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

10 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。