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Showtime Documentary Films is shedding light on the tragic death of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald in a new documentary called 16 Shots.
The film explores the facts behind McDonald’s death, and works to dispel the police and media reports that marked Officer Jason Van Dyke’s shooting as justified. However, the Chicago community and others across the country don’t see any validity in an office placing 16 bullets in a teenage boy.
“That is not the story. This boy been shot, and there’s a lot of bullet holes in him,” one man says in the documentary’s trailer.
Showtime breaks down Academy Award-nominated director Richard Rowley’s film, and the motivation behind its creation, saying, “After police initially declared the shooting as justified, journalists and activists fought for footage of the event to be released, sending the Chicago Police Department and local Chicago government officials into upheaval as the community demanded justice. Rowley’s film dissects the cover-up through first-hand witness accounts which led to the unprecedented conviction that fractured the political landscape of Chicago.”
Vinnie Malhotra, Showtime’s Executive Vice President of Non-Fiction Programming says 16 Shots will provide an in-depth look into the details surrounding McDonald’s death.
“The shooting of Laquan McDonald tore up Chicago in ways the city is still processing today,” said Malhotra, “With 16 Shots, Rick Rowley and his team deliver an unflinching and deep look at one of the most notorious police shootings in our history.”
16 Shots airs Friday, June 14 at 9 p.m. EST.