A judge has appointed a suburban Chicago state's attorney as the special prosecutor in the case against a Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder in the killing of black teenager Laquan McDonald.
At a hearing on Thursday, Cook County Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan swore in Kane County State's Attorney Joseph McMahon to handle the prosecution of Officer Jason Van Dyke.
Van Dyke was charged with murder last year in the 2014 killing of McDonald at the same time authorities released the dashcam video that shows McDonald being shot 16 times.
The appointment that was confirmed by McMahon spokesman Chris Nelson comes weeks after outgoing Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez requested that a special prosecutor handle the case.
The release of the video sparked large protests and helped force the ouster of Chicago's last police superintendent.
Winnebago County prosecutor Marilyn Hite Ross will serve on the special prosecutor's team.
