CHICAGO (AP) — A white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Chicago court. 
 
 FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2015 file photo, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke leaves the Cook County Jail after posting bond in Chicago. Van Dyke, who is charged with murder in the shooting death of... (Associated Press) 
 
 Jason Van Dyke faces six counts of first-degree murder and one of official misconduct in the 17-year-old's death. 
 
 He appeared in front of Judge Vincent Gaughan in Cook County Criminal Court and was dressed in a dark suit and blue striped tie. The next hearing is set for Jan. 29. 
 
 Public outcry has been furious since a dashcam video was released last month showing the veteran officer shooting McDonald 16 times. The teenager, armed with a knife, was veering away from officers when Van Dyke opened fire. 
 
 The footage sparked days of street demonstrations, the forced resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and a broad federal civil rights investigation of the police department's practices and how allegations of officer misconduct are handled. 
 
 Over the weekend, Chicago Police shot and killed two other people, a 55-year-old woman who was shot accidentally and a 19-year-old man whom police have said was "combative" before he was shot. The department will not say how many officers fired their weapons or what the two people were doing before they were shot. 
 
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been the target of heavy criticism and calls for resignation since the McDonald video was released last month, is due to return Tuesday afternoon from a family vacation in Cuba. ||||| CHICAGO (AP) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired the city's police chief Tuesday, a week after the release of a dash-cam video that showed a white Chicago officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times. 
 
 Protesters make their way up North Michigan Avenue on Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, in Chicago as community activists and labor leaders hold a demonstration billed as a "march for justice" in the wake of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This Nov. 24, 2015 file photo released by the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was charged with first degree murder after a squad car video caught him... (Associated Press) 
 
 Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, back middle, leaves the Cook County Jail after posting bond on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Chicago. Van Dyke has been locked up since Nov. 24, when prosecutors charged... (Associated Press) 
 
 Emanuel called a news conference to announce the dismissal of Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who only days ago insisted to reporters that the mayor had his "back." 
 
 Protesters have been calling for McCarthy's dismissal in response to the handling of the death of Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old who was killed in October 2014. 
 
 The city released police video of the shooting only after a judge ordered it to be made public. The release set off several days of largely peaceful protests. Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder. 
 
 McCarthy has been chief since May 2011. 
 
 The audio-free video shows McDonald walking down the middle of a four-lane street. He appears to veer away from two officers as they emerge from a vehicle, drawing their guns. Van Dyke opens fire from close range and continues firing after McDonald crumples to the ground. 
 
 Police have said McDonald was carrying a knife, and an autopsy revealed that he had PCP, a hallucinogenic drug, in his system. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has said the 3-inch blade recovered from the scene had been folded into the handle. 
 
 Defense attorney Dan Herbert says his client feared for his life, acted lawfully and that the video does not tell the whole story. 
 
 Van Dyke was released from jail Monday after paying the $150,000 required of his $1.5 million bail. 
 
 Prior to his arrival in Chicago, McCarthy was police director in Newark, New Jersey, after rising through the ranks of New York City's police department. ||||| The Chicago police officer caught on dashcam video shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times to his death in October 2014 pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday morning. NBC 5's Phil Rogers reports. (Published Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015) 
 
 The Chicago police officer caught on dashcam video shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times to his death in October 2014 pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday morning. 
 
 Van Dyke appeared before Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan just before 10 a.m., pleading not guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and one count of official misconduct. He was harassed by at least one heckler on his way into the courtroom. 
 
 Van Dyke’s attorney Dan Herbert called the proceedings an "important day" in the case, adding that transcripts and video evidence were released to the defense. 
 
 "The evidence will come in slowly," Herbert said. "We received a piece of evidence today and that will be a continuous process for probably the next several months until motions are filed, and we look forward to having a trial." 
 
 Van Dyke has been free on $1.5 million bond since Nov. 30 after spending six nights in Cook County, Illinois, jail. He was charged hours before video of McDonald’s shooting death went public, sparking weeks of demonstrations and unrest in Chicago. 
 
 Herbert previously argued the video does not tell the whole story and said Van Dyke feared for his life, which is why he fired his weapon. He added that although Van Dyke has said nothing following his brief appearances in court, the officer hopes his side of the story will soon be heard. 
 
 "(Van Dyke) wants his story to get out so that people don’t see him as this cold-blooded killer, and that’s what the trial is for," Herbert said. 
 
 The officer has not been to Chicago’s criminal courts building since earlier this month. As Van Dyke left the courthouse Dec. 18, several groups of people shouted profanities and pounded on the black pickup truck he was riding in before it pulled away. 
 
 The case has been widely publicized, with even Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasting the Chicago officer. 
 
 Emanuel previously told reporters, "Van Dyke violated both the standards of professionalism that come with being a police officer but also basic moral standards that bind our community together." 
 
 Herbert said after the December hearing he was considering requesting a change of venue because of Emanuel's criticism. He noted Tuesday that they are still considering the move. 
 
 "It’s something that’s not routinely done. In Cook County it hasn’t been done in decades," Herbert said. "I think with the current events and specifically the comments by the mayor in this case, not just on a day but continuing throughout the last few weeks, we intend to seek a change of venue. And quite frankly Exhibit A is going to be the mayor and his comments and we’re going to have to find a county that is outside the reach of the mayor’s comments."
– Chicago is bracing for intense protests and demonstrations Tuesday evening after the city released an "extremely disturbing" video of the fatal shooting of a black teenager at the hands of a white police officer in October 2014, Slate reports. The police dashcam video of the shooting allegedly shows Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times. In the video, McDonald—who was armed with a small knife—can be seen walking away from officers when Van Dyke opens fire. Van Dyke continues to shoot McDonald as he's lying on the ground. Al Jazeera notes Van Dyke emptied his gun and prepared to reload during the incident. The city had been attempting to block the release of the video since last year, Slate reports. A judge ordered it be made public last week. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday in advance of the video's release. "It's really important for public safety that the citizens of Chicago know that this officer is being held responsible for his actions," a county prosecutor tells Al Jazeera. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the ACLU of Illinois have called for calm and peace in the wake of the video's release. "The anger and frustration expressed by many African-American residents of Chicago in viewing the video is understandable," the ACLU states. "We hope that we can seize this moment to improve all aspects of policing." Activists have promised demonstrations following the video's release. "Chicago is not a Ferguson, it's not a Baltimore," one activist tells the Tribune. "We're not promoting any violence, but we understand that people are going to be angry."