3 Chicago Cops Charged In Cover-Up Of Laquan McDonald's Shooting

Updated

Three Chicago police officers were indicted Tuesday on state felony charges for allegedly conspiring to cover up the shooting of Laquan McDonald in 2014.

Detective David March and patrol officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney were charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and official misconduct in an indictment that was voted on by a Cook County special grand jury on Monday.

The indictment accuses the three cops, along with another officer identified only as ā€œIndividual A,ā€ of trying ā€œto conceal the true facts of the events surrounding the killing of LaQuan McDonald ... to shield their fellow officer from criminal investigation and prosecution,ā€ according to Fox 32.

They allegedly lied in an attempt to stop the public from seeing video recordings of the incident that ā€œwould inexorably lead to a thorough criminal investigation by an independent body and likely criminal charges.ā€

Walsh was the partner of officer Jason Van Dyke, who fired 16 shots into McDonald on Oct. 20, 2014, allegedly as the victim walked away. Van Dyke was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct in 2015 after dashcam video was released of the incident, and again charged this March with 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, ABC 7 reports.

All three men mishandled key evidence and submitted reports that described an incident far different from what the rest of the world saw on the dashcam video released a year later, according to the indictment.

March quit after a city inspector released a report that accused him of giving false information to the medical examinerā€™s officer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Patricia Brown Holmes, a special prosecutor appointed to the case, announced the charges Tuesday.

ā€œThe indictment makes clear that these defendants did more than merely obey an unofficial ā€˜code of silence,ā€™ rather it alleges that they lied about what occurred to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth,ā€ Holmes said, according to Fox 32.

She also noted that her investigation is ongoing.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Activists gather in front of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as they march up 5th avenue in New York City. 
Activists gather in front of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as they march up 5th avenue in New York City. 
Activists protest in Times Square.
Activists protest in Times Square.
About two thousand New Yorkers marched in Manhattan bringing traffic to a halt for many hours to remember Delrawn Small, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the three men shot dead by police in the last three days.
About two thousand New Yorkers marched in Manhattan bringing traffic to a halt for many hours to remember Delrawn Small, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the three men shot dead by police in the last three days.
Activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of black men by police.
Activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of black men by police.
Protester Kane Hines, 15, marches toward the White House in Washington D.C.
Protester Kane Hines, 15, marches toward the White House in Washington D.C.
On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Black Lives Matter protesters make their concerns known during a nighttime protest in Washington, D.C.
On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Black Lives Matter protesters make their concerns known during a nighttime protest in Washington, D.C.
People hold banners and chant slogans as they march from Union Square Park to Grand Central in New York City. 
People hold banners and chant slogans as they march from Union Square Park to Grand Central in New York City. 
Colorado High School Democrats of America State Chairman Tay Anderson raises his fist with a crowd of protesters as they stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in Denver, Colorado.
Colorado High School Democrats of America State Chairman Tay Anderson raises his fist with a crowd of protesters as they stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in Denver, Colorado.
Protesters chant during a sit-in on Lincoln Avenue in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in New York City.
Protesters chant during a sit-in on Lincoln Avenue in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in New York City.
Black Lives Matter activists stand together after a protest outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
Black Lives Matter activists stand together after a protest outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
Protesters stand in solidarity in Denver, Colorado.
Protesters stand in solidarity in Denver, Colorado.
A protester holds a sign in Denver, Colorado.
A protester holds a sign in Denver, Colorado.
Marques Armstrong chants in support of Philando Castile in front of the governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Marques Armstrong chants in support of Philando Castile in front of the governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next