Jason Van Dyke, who was convicted last year of murdering Laquan McDonald in an on-duty shooting, has resigned from the Chicago Police Department.
Van Dyke, who is serving a nearly 7-year prison sentence for second-degree murder, formally resigned last week, CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. Van Dyke’s resignation comes just under five years from the date he fired 16 shots at the 17-year-old McDonald as the teenager walked away from officers across a Southwest Side intersection on Oct. 20, 2014.
“Jason and his family recognized that any future in law enforcement was unrealistic. If fact, it’s unlikely that he would ever obtain gainful employment in the future as a result of this case,” his lawyer, Dan Herbert said Tuesday.
The department had moved to fire Van Dyke over the McDonald shooting in August 2016, a process that was placed on hold while his criminal case was pending. After the guilty verdict, Police Supt. Eddie Johnson filed an additional Police Board charge, arguing that Van Dyke’s conviction cost him the state certification required to serve as a sworn officer, according to Max Caproni, executive director of the Police Board.
The Police Board is the city agency that handles police firing and disciplinary hearings.
Van Dyke’s attorneys announced his resignation at a Police Board status hearing last week, Caproni said. Van Dyke, who was on the force for 18 years, will not collect a pension, Caproni said.
Van Dyke was the first Chicago police officer convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting since the 1960s.
