Obama Sends Thanksgiving Message About Teen Shot By Chicago Cop

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he was “deeply disturbed” by police video showing a white Chicago cop fatally shooting a black teenager, but praised the “overwhelming majority” of officers for their service.

Obama, in his first public comments about the video showing Laquan McDonald, 17, being shot 16 times , said in a Facebook post that he was grateful for the peaceful way Chicago residents have protested police actions since Tuesday’s release of the footage. 

Chicago officials released the video in response to a judge's order . Earlier on Tuesday, officials announced a first-degree murder charge against Officer Jason Van Dyke,  who shot McDonald. 

Police and union officials had claimed that Van Dyke fired in self-defense after McDonald lunged at officers with a knife. The video shows Van Dyke opened fire as McDonald backed away from officers. 

Hundreds of people marched around Chicago on Tuesday to protest the killing. The protests were largely peaceful , with police making five arrests for offenses that included resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. 

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