Three police officers have been charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and official misconduct for their roles in the cover up of the 2014 fatal shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white police officer.
“These defendants lied about what occurred during a police-involved shooting in order to prevent independent criminal investigators from learning the truth,” special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes said. “The indictment makes clear that it is unacceptable to obey an unofficial code of silence.”
Detective David March, a 30-year police veteran, and Officers Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney, both with the force for about 20 years, received the charges on Tuesday and will appear in court next month. Gaffney is the only one charged who is still on the force but is currently suspended without pay as a result of the pending felony charges.
