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Chicago Police Chief Garry McCarthy Fired in Wake of Laquan McDonald Video

A week after Chicago released footage of a white officer gunning down a black teenager in the street last October, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has bowed to public pressure and asked his police superintendent to resign.
Photo via AP

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked his police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, to resign on Tuesday, a week after the city released a video of a white officer gunning down black teenager Laquan McDonald last October. The city had fought to suppress that footage for over a year, and the police department's handling of the incident has been a focus of controversy.

At a press conference, Emmanuel called McCarthy an "excellent leader" but added that "there's an undeniable fact that the public trust has been eroded." The mayor called for "fresh eyes and new leadership."

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Hours before the video's release last Tuesday, Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder. The video, which shows Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times in the middle of a street as he walks away from the officer, sparked protests across Chicago while raising questions about why it took over a year for the footage to become public.

Related: Graphic Footage Shows Chicago Cop Facing Murder Charge Spray Teen with Bullets

Van Dyke is the first Chicago police officer charged with murder for an on-duty incident in decades. He was released from custody after posting bail on Monday.

Over the past week, pressure has been mounting for heads to roll in Chicago. Demonstrators have vented outrage, with many demanding that Emanuel and McCarthy resign. The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board called on McCarthy to step down and black members of the City Council have been clamoring for the police superintendent's removal as well.

Editorials in major national newspapers, including the Washington Post, characterized the incident as a "police cover-up" and also called for McCarthy to be fired. But McCarthy isn't the only person to have been singled out — last Thursday, the Chicago Teachers Union also called for Cook County's chief prosecutor, Anita Alvarez, to be replaced because it took her over a year to file charges against Van Dyke.

Despite the public furor, reports suggest that McCarthy was taken by surprise. On Tuesday morning, hours before the mayor announced the dismissal, McCarthy told ABC7 Eyewitness News that he was staying put.

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"I will not give up on the good people of Chicago," he said.

When McCarthy was asked why Van Dyke had remained on duty despite the 18 civilian complaints on his record, he replied that many of those complaints were not investigated by his department.

After the video of the shooting was released, Emanuel and McCarthy held a press conference and made an effort to contain the damage.

"One individual needs to be held accountable. They need to be held accountable for what they've done," Emanuel said, adding that he hoped the city would soon "begin the process of healing."

But the mayor's perspective on accountability appears to have changed since then.

Related: Questions Surround Lack of Audio on New Footage of Laquan McDonald Shooting

During the press conference on Tuesday, Emmanuel was repeatedly pressed on why the city did not release the footage earlier.

"It is a common practice that you don't release material that's essential to an investigation," he said. "It's clear, based on this event, that between the public's right to know, and the integrity of an investigation, there's two principles in conflict."

That logic was rejected outright by Judge Franklin Valderrama, who ordered that the video be released last week.

The mayor also announced the creation of a special task force to look into policing practices in the city of Chicago. The task force will "will review the system of accountability, oversight and training that is currently in place for Chicago's police officers," Emanuel said.