Laquan McDonald, 17, was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke who turned himself in on Tuesday morning.
The city had announced that they would be releasing the dashcam footage on Wednesday, but it was released during a 4:30 PM news conference.
McDonald's family had stated that they did not want the video released, but a freelance journalist had filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain it.
"This is a difficult time for us. As we have said in the past, while we would prefer that the video not be released we understand that a court has ordered otherwise… " a statement from the teen’s family read on Tuesday.
McDonald was reportedly holding a knife, which he used to slash the tires of a police vehicle.
Van Dyke fired a “barrage of bullets” less than 30 seconds after arriving at the scene, and continued shooting as McDonald’s body was on the ground.
State Attorney Anita Alvarez has stated that this was not a proper use of force and that it was not justified.
“With these charges, we are bringing a full measure of justice that this demands,” Alvarez told reporters on Tuesday.
Her announcement came just one day before the deadline set by a judge to release the video footage, taken from a police dash-cam.
“It is everything it has been described to be by the news accounts,” Alvarez said. “It is graphic, it is violent, it is chilling. I’ve been a prosecutor for nearly 30 years…to watch a 17-year-old young man die in such a violent manner is deeply disturbing.”
Fearing unrest over the disturbing footage, the family called for calm.
"We ask for calm in Chicago. No one understands the anger more than us but if you choose to speak out, we urge you to be peaceful. Don't resort to violence in Laquan's name. Let his legacy be better than that," McDonald's family asked.
