Laquan McDonald Protests Shut Down Chicago's 'Magnificent Mile'

Hundreds of protesters in Chicago shut down Michigan Avenue on Friday as part of a march along the city's "Magnificent Mile."

The demonstrators took to the streets to bring attention to the 2014 police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, whose death occurred under dramatically different circumstances than those described in official police accounts, video released last week shows. Jason Van Dyke, the officer involved in the shooting, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Police accounts of the shooting said the teenager was acting strangely and lunged at officers with a knife. While McDonald did have a small knife on him, the video shows he was walking away from officers when Van Dyke opened fire, emptying his entire ammunition clip into the teenager and then attempting to reload.

Video of the protest Friday captured demonstrators yelling "16 shots," a reference to the number of times Van Dyke shot McDonald, and "Stop the cover-up."

Police accounts of the shooting reported the teenager was acting strangely and lunged at officers with a knife. While McDonald did have a small knife on him, the video shows he was walking away from officers when Van Dyke opened fire, emptying his entire ammunition clip into the teenager, then attempting to reload.

"This is something that has touched the conscience of our entire city," Reverend Marshall Hatch, one of the protesters, told ABC7. "We need to project just how the pain that we're feeling in neighborhoods now needs to be felt on Michigan Avenue."

Hatch also appealed for demonstrators to keep the march peaceful.

Protesters called for the resignation of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and Chicago Superintendent of Police Garry McCarthy.

THEY ALL MUST GO #resignRahm #LaquanMcDonald http://pic.twitter.com/vLYWPAidHc

— Thanks, Bastards (@MinkuAzad) November 27, 2015

See more photos and video of the march below:

Front line of Chicago #LaquanMcDonald #BlackoutBlackFriday march. intense crowd proceeding thru downtown traffic http://pic.twitter.com/iYPTvQ88BV

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 27, 2015

maybe 200 protesters at kickoff of Mag Mile march #laquanmcdonald http://pic.twitter.com/kwbJqe9c2d

— Dan Mihalopoulos (@dmihalopoulos) November 27, 2015

Third wave. Thousands here at Water Tower for #BlackFriday #LaquanMcDonald protest. "No shopping!" http://pic.twitter.com/wc12U8k4E5

— WBEZeducation (@WBEZeducation) November 27, 2015

For over an hour Chicago's main downtown shopping hub (the Magnificent Mile) has been shutdown for #LaquanMcDonald! http://pic.twitter.com/WeHJFVmXUy

— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) November 27, 2015

"This is what democracy looks like" #LaquanMcDonald http://pic.twitter.com/qgHDSvhuTb

— Grace Wong (@GraceWong630) November 27, 2015

#Chicago #LaquanMcDonald water tower place 11:55a http://pic.twitter.com/mYTD0QTT1E

— shaz rasul (@shazrasul) November 27, 2015

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