Officer Arrested For Shooting 17 Year Old (Laquan McDonald) Has Posted His $1.5 Million Bond

Officer Who Killed Laquan McDonald Has Set Bail 

BHR Hollywood Reports...........Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who fatally shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times has posted his $1.5 million bond, thanks to the local police union.

Officer Jason Van Dyke had been in jail since Tuesday after prosecutors charged him with the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting of Laquan McDonald. Also on Tuesday, the city released dashcam video that shows the teen, who is black, being shot by Van Dyke, who is white.

Lamon Reccord, an organizer of the protests, expressed frustration that Van Dyke was able to post bail.

 Jason Van Dyke 

"I think the protests were largely peaceful, because he was in jail," Reccord said at a prayer vigil in front of police department headquarters Monday evening. "There's going to be a lot of anger. I want it to be peaceful, but I worry there could now be damage."

Another protester, Jedidiah Brown, an activist from the city's South Side who is black, said that Van Dyke's release sends the wrong message to Chicago.

"When Van Dyke walked out, what that said to me is that my life doesn't matter to this mayor and this city," Brown said.

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. noted before setting the bail Monday that Van Dyke is presumed innocent.

Daniel Herbert, Van Dyke's attorney, argued that Van Dyke is no threat to the public and should be given a reasonable bond. The attorney expressed relief after the judge set bond.

Lamon Reccord

The officer's attorney, Dan Herbert, has argued that Van Dyke was not a flight risk and maintained that he can "absolutely" defend his actions in court, according to the Daily Mail.

Herbert says he has information, which has not been made public, that will justify the shooting. However, Van Dyke, he adds, is "very scared about the consequences he is facing."

Much public contempt has erupted in Chicago, and around the nation, after details and video of the shooting surfaced.

 McDonald was holding a 3-inch knife when confronted by Van Dyke, however, prosecutors say the teen posed no immediate threat that would have justified the shooting. Once on the ground after being shot, the officer continued to fire his gun.