Stories by Matt Masterson

Defense attorneys for three Chicago police officers will have their first opportunity to present evidence Thursday morning. But it remains to be seen if any witnesses will be called.

After the state rested its case Tuesday, defense attorneys each requested a directed finding of not guilty, claiming the state had failed to prove any conspiracy existed. More updates from week two in the courtroom.

Kwame Nkrumah Charter School and Urban Prep West Charter School have both failed to “provide a high quality education” for their students, the district says.

An eyewitness who says he was shooed away. A key witness who says a detective lied. Scrutiny over events leading up to the shooting. Key takeaways from week one of an unprecedented trial of three Chicago cops accused of working to cover up the 2014 shooting of Laquan McDonald.

A delayed ruling on key evidence will extend the special prosecution’s case into next week. The latest from the trial of three Chicago police officers accused of attempting to cover up the 2014 shooting death of Laquan McDonald.

Chicago police Officer Dora Fontaine testifies on day two in the trial of three Chicago police officers accused of conspiring to cover up details of the Laquan McDonald shooting. 

Were three Chicago cops adhering to an unofficial “code of silence” when they allegedly tried to cover up details of the Laquan McDonald shooting? Or were they simply working by the book? The latest from the courtroom.

Three current and former Chicago police officers will go on trial this week, accused of attempting to cover up details of the high-profile shooting. Here are the key names to know as the case gets underway.

A mass shooting at a Chicago hospital left four people dead, including an emergency room doctor, a police officer with less than two years on the force and a first-year pharmaceutical resident.

An Instagram video that captured the incident Tuesday morning shows students yelling and running through smoke-filled hallways after the fireworks were set off. A 16-year-old now faces a felony charge.

Special prosecutors believe it will take less than a week to present their case against a trio of current and former Chicago police officers accused of trying to cover up the 2014 shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald.

Kenneth Johnson spent more than three decades with the Chicago Police Department, but federal prosecutors allege the former commander stole $360,000 in Social Security funds over the course of 23 years.

State investigators say the armed security guard fatally shot by a Midlothian police officer outside a south suburban bar early Sunday was not wearing anything that identified him as security and ignored repeated orders to drop his weapon.

Joseph Kim, 24, will spend 15 months in federal prison after defrauding his former employer and a handful of investors out of more than $1 million in cash and cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Litecoin. 

A 14-year-old suburban student is facing a criminal charge after allegedly sending classmates an image of a Swastika over their phones during a school assembly last week.

A suburban high school is once again investigating an incident involving an anti-Semitic message sent to students only days after racist messages were found written throughout its campus.

Chicago police say Heath Levey used chalk to draw the Nazi symbol on fences and garages earlier this month. Levey faces multiple felony hate crime charges.

The reward is said to be the largest in the city's history as Chicago police continue their attempts to identify the masked gunman.

The Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago will no longer refer cases to Dan Herbert, a private defense attorney and former Chicago police officer who previously worked as an FOP staff attorney.

The 17-year-old suspect now faces two felony counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon and one felony count of aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Three current and former Chicago police officers accused of trying to cover up details of the Laquan McDonald shooting will stand trial for their alleged crimes.

Chicago Public Schools on Thursday afternoon announced Ogden Principal Michael Beyer has been “reassigned from his principal duties” months after his school completed a merger with Jenner Elementary.

An off-duty sergeant and suburban officer allegedly beat two men in an unprovoked attack outside a gay bar in September. But weeks after they were identified, no criminal charges have been filed.

Christian Daigre was found not guilty in this case following a bench trial that ended May 15, 2023. Additional charges against him were later dropped by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.

Defense attorneys for the Chicago cop convicted of second-decree murder in the fatal shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald are asking a judge to toss out the convictions or grant a new trial.

A Cook County judge will decide next week whether she’ll grant a request to dismiss charges against three Chicago police officers accused of working to cover up the shooting death of black teen Laquan McDonald, less than a month before they are set to face trial.