Newly Released Audio Shows Officers Asked for Non-Lethal Backup Before Fatally Shooting Laquan McDonald 16 Times

Newly released audio shows police officers requested non-lethal backup to subdue Laquan McDonald, 17, before fatally shooting him 16 times.

Chicago’s NBC5 obtained the radio calls on Wednesday through a Freedom of Information Act request.

“Someone have a Taser?" an officer on the scene can be heard saying. "This guy is walking away, but he’s got a knife in hand."

Another officer replies that one is on its way, but was still some distance away.

A dispatcher asks if any officers closer to the scene who had a Taser were able to “help out.”

On Oct. 20, 2014, McDonald was reportedly breaking into vehicles while armed with a knife when he was confronted by police. According to NBC5, in dashcam video, McDonald appears to walk away from police officers before he was shot.

NBC5 reports that McDonald was shot “within seven minutes of the initial radio call,” and it is still “unclear” if an officer with a Taser ever arrived at the scene.

The officer involved in the shooting, Jason van Dyke, was charged with first degree murder last month.

Former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy was fired over the incident, and McDonald’s death prompted protests throughout the city.

Watch WGN-TV’s report on the audio below: