Shocking footage has been released of the moment a black teenager was shot 16 times at point blank range by a white police officer in Chicago.
The dashcam footage of the shooting last year was released under orders from a judge after the officer who is alleged to be involved, Jason Van Dyke, was charged with the murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
The clip shows the teenager, who authorities claim was carrying a pocket knife and had the hallucinogenic drug PCP in his system, standing in the middle of a road on October 20, 2014, before he was gunned down.
Laquan can be seen jogging away from a police car and then walking diagonally across the road as two more police officers pull up in front of him.
Two officers can be seen jumping out of their vehicle and drawing their weapons at Laquan, who continues to move away from them.
Seconds later, the teenager was struck by bullets and he falls to the ground before being hit by additional rounds of gunfire.
Cook County's chief prosecutor, Anita Alvarez, acknowledged that she timed the filing of the first-degree murder charge against Van Dyke to precede the video's disclosure in a bid to mute harsh public reaction to the footage.
She said: “With release of this video it's really important for public safety that the citizens of Chicago know that this officer is being held responsible for his actions.”
Prosecutors claim Van Dyke fired the shots within 30 seconds of arriving at the scene and just six seconds after getting out of his vehicle.
Laquan was hit by 16 rounds, all from Van Dyke’s weapon, prosecutors allege.
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Ms Alvarez told a news conference after the initial court hearing; “Clearly, this officer went overboard and he abused his authority, and I don’t think use of force was necessary.”
Van Dyke was denied bail and could face 20 years to life in prison if he is convicted.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.
