Chicago

Live Blog: Disturbing Testimony, Graphic Images Mark 3rd Day of Van Dyke Trial

More testimony is expected in the third day of the murder trial of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke

What to Know

  • Van Dyke is charged with murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old McDonald nearly four years ago
  • The Chicago police officer was captured on dashcam video shooting McDonald 16 times the night of Oct. 20, 2014, on the city's Southwest Side
  • Van Dyke entered a plea of not guilty

Follow along live from court above and below. (NOTE: Not all witness testimony will be streamed live above)

Jurors spent the third day of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke's murder trial looking at graphic autopsy images showing the more than a dozen gunshot wounds on the body of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

It was a day of disturbing testimony as a forensic pathologist details how each bullet affected McDonald's body. 

Jurors also heard how the teen died with PCP in his system - and how that could have caused some of his erratic behavior in the moments before his death. 

In the first two days of the trial so far, jurors have heard from several Chicago police officers, watched dashcam video of McDonald's fatal shooting and seen the weapon Van Dyke used to shoot the 17-year-old 16 times. 

Van Dyke has claimed he opened fire that night to protect himself and other officers. The Chicago police officer is charged with murder after he shot McDonald 16 times the night of Oct. 20, 2014, on the city's Southwest Side.

Van Dyke's attorneys maintain the Chicago officer has been wrongly charged, saying he was acting within the law when he shot the teen, who at the time was an armed felon fleeing a crime scene.

4:30 p.m.: Day 3 of testimony in the Jason Van Dyke murder trial is done for the day. The jury spent almost almost 4 hours listening to a forensic pathologist detail Laquan McDonald’s injuries and looking at autopsy photos showing all his gunshot wounds.

3:53 p.m.: Deja Vu. 5th witness of the day is FBI forensic expert Mark Messick. He’s testifying again- 1 day after his testimony about the enhancement of the dash cam video was struck from the record b/c he’s not a ballistic expert & can’t talk about the puffs of smoke from the shooting

2:58 p.m.: The autopsy report said gunshot wound #4, which struck Laquan in the front right chest (piercing the lung) was the one that killed him. Under cross, Dr. Arunkumar says it was “highly unlikely” that Laquan was on the ground at the time, meaning he was facing Van Dyke when hit

2:28 p.m.: Defense attorneys begin their cross examination of forensic pathologist, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, by establishing the fact that she did not perform Laquan McDonald’s autopsy, and only recently reviewed her colleague’s autopsy notes, when she was called to testify.

1:39 p.m.: Dr. Ponni Arunkumar: "The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death is homicide."

1:22 p.m.: Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, says one wound was a graze wound. Seven penetrated the body and bullet fragments were recovered. Eight had entrance and exit wounds. “(There were) 24 holes to Laquan."

1:18 p.m.: Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar finishes detailing all 16 gunshot wounds. She testified that during at least two shots, entrance wounds on the upper and lower back, Laquan McDonald was “most likely” not on the ground at the time.

12:14 p.m.: After looking at the autopsy photos for 40 minutes, Judge Gaughan takes a short recess to give everyone a break. We’re only half way through the gunshot wound pictures.

11:32 a.m.: A forensic pathologist is now explaining, one by one, each of the 16 bullet wounds to Laquan McDonald. The jury is now looking at the graphic autopsy photos of each of the gunshot wounds.

11 a.m.: Third witness of the day, Greg Brate, a firearms forensic expert with ISP, confirms that all 16 shots fired the night Laquan McDonald was killed, came from the same weapon. “Based on comparison of evidence...I determined all fired from the same weapon.”

10 a.m.: Day 3 of testimony begins with a government motion to have the FBI forensic expert’s testimony re-admitted. Judge Gaughan says an expert’s testimony is supposed to aid the jury in understanding the evidence, and it only confused them. But he will allow him to retestify.

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