A white Chicago police officer has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for gunning down a black teenager in 2014.
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The sentencing brings to an end to a case that was centred on a shocking dashcam video and fuelled national debates about race and policing and law enforcement's "code of silence".
Jason Van Dyke, 40, appearing unshaven and wearing a yellow-orange jail uniform in court, had faced up to 20 years in prison.
He was convicted last year of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery - one for each bullet he fired at Laquan McDonald after responding to a report of a man trucks and stealing radios in the area.
The dashcam showed Van Dyke opening fire within seconds of getting out of his police SUV and continuing to shoot the teen while he was lying on the street.
The 17-year-old was holding a small knife and walking away from police when he was shot.
Moments before learning the sentence, Van Dyke acknowledged the teen's death, telling the judge that "as a God-fearing man and father, I will have to live with this the rest of my life".
Judge Vincent Gaughan did not characterise Van Dyke's decision to open fire, saying only that it changed both McDonald's and Van Dyke's families forever.
"That's shame," he said. You can see the pain ... on both families ... This is not easy." He also said he knew the sentence would not please anyone.
"I assume 100 per cent of people will be disappointed."
After the judge's announcement, Van Dyke's father said, "They threw him underneath the bridge."
His older daughter began crying and said "I want him home."
Earlier in the day, several black motorists testified that he used a racial slur and excessive force during traffic stops in the years before the 2014 shooting.
Hours later, Van Dyke's relatives tried to defend and humanise him, saying he's a good father and husband who goes out of his way to help and who is not racist.
The issue of race has loomed over the case for more than four years, although it was rarely raised at trial. One of the only instances was during opening statements, when special prosecutor Joseph McMahon told jurors that Van Dyke saw "a black boy walking down the street" who had "the audacity to ignore the police".
Friday's testimony came a day after a different judge acquitted three officers accused of trying to conceal what happened to protect Van Dyke, who was the first Chicago officer found guilty in an on-duty shooting in a half century and probably the first ever in the shooting of an African-American.
At the sentencing, McDonald's uncle read a letter written from the slain teen's perspective, telling the court that Van Dyke killed him without provocation.
"I am a 17-year-old boy, and I am a victim of murder," Marvin Hunter said. "I am unable to speak in my own voice" because an officer "thought he would become judge, jury and executioner".
Australian Associated Press