Report: Emails show Chicago coordination after shooting

Newly released emails show that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office, police and the group responsible for investigating police shootings in the city coordinated their response after the death of Laquan McDonald in October 2014, the Associated Press reported Friday.

{mosads}The AP, which filed open-records requests, said that thousands of emails were released regarding the case of McDonald, the black 17-year-old shot by a white police officer, including messages indicating Emanuel’s advisers recognized within months the case’s political ramifications.

Calls for Emanuel’s resignation have erupted in Chicago after police dash-cam footage of the shooting was released in November, more than a year after Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 rounds at the teen, who had a knife but was at a distance. The officer pleaded not guilty this week to murder charges.

Documents reviewed by the AP show that the head of the city’s Independent Police Review Authority exchanged emails with aides to Emanuel, including on handling media interviews. In one email, an Emanuel spokesman told an IPRA spokesman to “tread lightly” when handling an interview request.

Days before the video was released, the Emanuel spokesman wrote to police and the law department saying that they should speak with “one voice” on the issue.

The McDonald shooting and others have spurred a federal investigation of the city’s police department and its use of force.