Chicago is on edge following the release of a video showing the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

CBS News reports 37-year-old police officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday, hours prior to the release of the dashcam footage.

Protests sparked throughout the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, with many participants angry that it took 13 months before any action was taken against the officer.

After a judge ordered the video to be made public, city and police officials urged the public to remain calm, fearing the same unrest that occurred in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore due to similar police killings of young black men.

"People have a right to be angry," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said. "People have a right to protest. People have a right to free speech. But they do not have a right to ... criminal acts."

The victim's family also called for peaceful protest, saying, "No one understands the anger more than us but if you choose to speak out, we urge you to be peaceful. Don't resort to violence in Laquan's name."

According to CNN, the video shows the slain teenager first running and then walking down a street. When McDonald meets a police vehicle, he barely has enough time to turn before he struck by a barrage of bullets.

The shooter Van Dyke fired 16 shots in just over 15 seconds.

Despite the evidence, Van Dyke's lawyer said the video may not tell the whole story.

"Video by nature is two-dimensional and it distorts images," lawyer Daniel Q. Herbert said. "So what appears to be clear on a video sometimes is not always that clear."

McDonald had a 3-inch knife in his possession, and toxicology reports found PCP in his system. However, he was not within ten feet of officer during the incident.

Demonstrations were held in various areas in the city, including Chicago's South Side and downtown districts. One protest was held outside the police department's District 1 headquarters.

"Unfortunately, this has been a persistent problem in terms of excessive force being used by police and the murder of black people with impunity by the police," protestor Jay Travis said to CNN. "So we're out here for love of our city. We're out here pushing for change."

Protests remained peaceful, with only five arrests reported on Tuesday night.