CHICAGO — The white Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald says he was doing what he was trained to do and that the case against him shows prosecutors are bowing to political pressure.

In his first interview since he was arrested — and just days before jury selection in his trial is set to begin — Officer Jason Van Dyke told the Chicago Tribune : “I never would have fired my gun if I didn’t think my life was in jeopardy or another citizen’s life was.”

Van Dyke didn’t discuss any details of the 2014 shooting in the interview that was tightly controlled by his attorney, including the likely focus of the prosecutors’ case: that no other officer shot at the teen and that his written report that he believed McDonald was attacking him with a knife contradicts what can be seen in the now-famous dashcam video.

Continue reading CHICAGO | Chicago cop: Murder charge in McDonald shooting is political at STL.News.