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The Chicago Story

  • Broadcast in Politics
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A week before Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer in October 2014, the killing of another African-American man on the city's South Side was also caught on a police dash-cam video.Like the McDonald case, a police union spokesman showed up to the scene where Ronald Johnson III had been shot through the back on Oct. 12, 2014, and told reporters that the officer had fired in fear for his life.An official police statement later claimed that Johnson, 25, had turned and pointed a gun at the officers during a foot chase and that the weapon was recovered in his hand.But the dash-cam video – which the city has fought to keep hidden -- shows otherwise, lawyers for Johnson's family allege."The city is attempting to cover up another fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American man," attorney Michael Oppenheimer said at a news conference Tuesday calling for the video's release. "The video clearly shows Robert Johnson was not carrying a weapon...The police department planted that gun."Chicago Tribune

Filmmaker Spike Lee made it clear he believes a cover-up occurred at the highest levels."It has to be," Lee told CNN's Don Lemon. "This is like some Watergate stuff.""A lot of questions have to be answered," Lee said. "Who made the decision why this tape was held so long? And who saw the tape?. He was charged with first-degree murder in McDonald's death just hours before the video's release. Said Lee: "Shenanigans to me."

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