Jason Van Dyke, the police officer who shot McDonald, was found guilty of second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery.

[1][6][7][8] Frank Scheck wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, "The film delivers its gripping account in clear, suspenseful fashion and includes news footage from the time and contemporary interviews with many of the principal figures involved... Freelance journalist Jamie Kalven, who covered the story extensively and is one of the film's producers, figures prominently, as do several activists and community leaders....

Instead, it's about the ripple effect that transformed a city that night.... 16 Shots is a very deliberate, ominous documentary, filled with views of the Chicago skyline and a pulsing score, but Rowley makes several smart decisions as a storyteller.

McCarthy, Van Dyke's attorney, Alvarez, and a few spokespeople for the FOP are on-hand to defend their actions..."[10] In The New York Times Ken Jaworowski wrote, "Rowley interviews activists, witnesses, jurors and police representatives.

Their frustrations would be easy to inflame, yet the director and his crew listen closely to what is being said, and allow time for those interviewed to work through their thoughts.... To be sure, the case has been extensively covered in the media, leaving this film to function largely as a summary of the shooting and the trial....

They'll be justifiably impressed by the range of interview subjects and the effort that director Richard Rowley and producers Jacqueline Soohen and Jamie Kalven made to give both sides of the story time on camera.