Hillary Clinton called Wednesday for justice in the case of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager fatally shot last year by police in Chicago, citing the incident as an example of the need for a larger national conversation about race and policing.
"The family of Laquan McDonald and the people of Chicago deserve justice and accountability," Clinton said in a statement. "As criminal charges proceed in this case, we also have to grapple as a country with broader questions about ensuring that all our citizens and communities are protected and respected. The mothers I met recently in Chicago are right: we cannot go on like this."
The police officer who killed 17-year-old McDonald, Jason Van Dyke, was charged earlier this week with first-degree murder. Newly released police dashcam video shows Van Dyke shooting the teenager 16 times.
Clinton, along with her Democratic primary rivals, has voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Clinton's campaign says her criminal justice platform includes expanding federal oversight of police departments, including the division that investigates potential civil rights violations.
"All over America, there are police officers honorably doing their duty, demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples," she said in the statement. "The loss of so many young African Americans taken too soon should reaffirm our commitment to press forward for progress."
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