CHICAGO (AP) – A judge in Chicago says an officer suing the city in federal court can’t access evidence from a high-profile homicide case involving another officer that hasn’t yet gone to trial in state court.
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reported on Venus Rodriguez’s civil case Tuesday. She alleges police didn’t investigate claims an off-duty officer assaulted her because of a code of silence among officers.
She wants evidence from Jason Van Dyke’s case, where code-of-silence questions also emerged. Van Dyke, a white officer, is charged in the 2014 slaying of black teenager Laquan McDonald.
The federal judge noted in his ruling last week that there’s a gag order in Van Dyke’s case. He said potential benefits to Rodriguez didn’t outweigh the Illinois court’s concerns about disclosing Van Dyke evidence before trial.
