(19 Jan 2019) The white Chicago police officer who gunned down a black teenager in 2014 was sentenced Friday to nearly seven years in prison.
The sentencing brought to an end to a historic case that centred on a shocking dashcam video and fuelled the national debate over race and law enforcement.
Jason Van Dyke was convicted last year of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery - one for each bullet he fired.
Moments before learning the sentence, Van Dyke acknowledged the black teenager's death, telling the judge that "as a God-fearing man and father, I will have to live with this the rest of my life."
Earlier, several black motorists testified that he used a racial slur and excessive force during traffic stops in the years before the 2014 shooting.
The issue of race has loomed over the case for more than four years, although it was rarely raised at trial.
At the sentencing, McDonald's uncle read a letter written from the slain teen's perspective, telling the court that Van Dyke killed him without provocation.
In asking for a long sentence, Marvin Hunter added: "Why should this person who ended my life forever ... who has never asked for forgiveness ... be free when I am dead for forever?"
Footage released 13 months after the shooting showed Van Dyke opening fire within seconds of getting out of his police SUV and continuing to shoot the teen while he was lying on the street.
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