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Jason Van Dyke trial halted due to sick juror

Published  October 1, 2018 10:13am CDT
Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

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Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke listens during his trial on murder charges at the Leighton Criminal Court Building September 25, 2018 in Chicago (Photo by Antonio Perez-Pool/Getty Images)
 

CHICAGO (AP) - The murder trial of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has been halted for a day because a juror is ill.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan made the announcement Monday morning shortly after taking the bench. The trial will resume Tuesday.

Defense attorneys are closing in on calling their final witnesses. But it remains unclear whether Van Dyke will testify about what happened the night he shot Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014.

Van Dyke's attorneys say the white officer acted properly when he shot the black teenager, who was armed with a knife. Prosecutors say the shooting wasn't justified. 

Last week, the officer's lawyers called witnesses to testify about incidents the night of the shooting and in the months before, in which they say McDonald displayed violent behavior.