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Gov. JB Pritzker spoke publicly yesterday about the case against the former Chicago police officer, who was convicted of the 2014 killing of Laquan McDonald.
"The justice system isn't always just and I do not think that the outcome of sentencing of Jason Van Dyke was proper," Pritzker said. "I am disappointed and I would have rather seen a different outcome. But this is where we are."
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Van Dyke, now in his mid-40s, has been in custody since his conviction in October 2018 on aggravated battery and second degree murder charges for the shooting death of McDonald. In 2014, Van Dyke shot the Black teen 16 times. Video of the shooting from a police dashboard camera, released more than a year later, was a key piece of evidence in the trial and inflamed public reaction across the country.
Van Dyke is scheduled to be released from prison on Feb. 3 after serving about half his sentence.