Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke walked out of jail Monday night after posting $150,000 bail—that’s 10 percent of his $1.5 million bond, USA Today reports.
Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder for gunning down 17-year-old Laquan McDonald last year. The police dash-cam video of the shooting, released just last week by a judge’s order, sparked outrage and protests.
Van Dyke had been in jail since last Tuesday. News of his release comes as Chicago remains on edge.
“I think the protests were largely peaceful because he was in jail. There’s going to be a lot of anger. I want it to be peaceful, but I worry there could now be damage,” Lamon Reccord, a protest organizer, told USA Today.
Jedidiah Brown, another protester, was also disturbed by the officer’s release. He told the newspaper, “When Van Dyke walked out, what that said to me is that my life doesn’t matter to this mayor [Rahm Emanuel] and this city.”
Read more at USA Today.