Practically every Chicagoan knows about the recent shooting of 17 year old Laquan McDonald. He was fatally shot 16 times by police officer Jason Van Dyke on Oct. 20, 2014. This incident has only recently garnered so much attention because the video of the shooting, caught on a dash-cam, was just released this past November – a full 13 months after it took place. This is not the first case of a white police officer taking the life of a black man; rather it will be added to a list of acts of police brutality that has been steadily growing throughout the nation.

     The video really hits home in a city so deeply rooted in segregation. Endless controversy has been sparked throughout Chicago, resulting in protests, rallies and calls for the Mayor and State’s Attorney to step down.

     The video shows McDonald with a knife in his hand walking down Pulaski Road towards flashing police cars before he veers away from them. Van Dyke and his partner jump from their vehicle and point their guns at the teen while he continues to walk in the opposite direction. McDonald turns slightly and Van Dyke suddenly opens fire with several feet of space still between the two. It takes all of three seconds for McDonald to hit the ground in a puff of gunpowder, but the shooting continues for some time.

     While one might think having video evidence of the shooting would give a clear indication as to whether or not Van Dyke is guilty, it has taken 13 months of investigation to even begin prosecution.

     The video was supposedly withheld from the public so as not to interfere with the investigation. McDonald’s family also opposed releasing the video because of its potential to cause backlash and violence. They said it is not what he would have wanted and it would taint the legacy he left behind. However, a journalist filed a freedom of information request and the judge ordered it to be released on Nov. 25.

     In addition to the video being held back for so long, the way the case was handled has aroused large amounts of suspicion and accusations. Minutes after the shooting, multiple police officers went into the Burger King just yards away from where McDonald fell and insisted on seeing their surveillance video. When the officers left, nearly an hour and a half of footage had mysteriously disappeared from multiple cameras. Testimonies from many officers don’t seem to line up with the dash-cam video. Witnesses from that night told lawyers for McDonald’s family that they were ordered to leave the scene or be arrested. Others who argued that Laquan never lunged at Van Dyke say they were harassed at the station. There appear to be eight police cars on the scene, but only five dash-cam videos have been given to the Chicago Tribune in response to their open records request. City officials have yet to reveal why there is no audio in the videos. Furthermore, the decision regarding the video happened to be made right around the time of Rahm Emanuel’s reelection. The McDonald family was also paid a $5 million settlement by the city of Chicago.

     With all of this in mind, there is no question as to why any remaining trust of the Chicago Police Department has vanished. It is also easy to see why the US Department of Justice has recently decided to investigate the CPD. Although McDonald’s specific case did help to bring on the investigation, the USDOJ will be looking at the CPD as a whole in an effort to eliminate its corruption and get to the root of the issue. The goal “is not to focus on individuals, but to improve systems,” said U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The process is expected to be very long but very efficient; so while Chicago won’t have answers any time soon, the first step has been taken in creating the fundamental changes that the city so desperately needs.