Chicago police superintendent fired by mayor amid outcry over video of shooting

After the release of the video, protesters took to the Chicago streets, shouting “16 shots!” repeatedly, referencing the number of times McDonald was shot.

The superintendent of the Chicago Police Department was sacked amid controversy over the shooting of a black teenager.

Garry McCarthy has held the position since 2011, making him the only superintendent that has served under Emanuel, who was re-elected to his second term in April 2015.

McCarthy was confronted with a spate of violent crimes early on, with his first full year on the job ending with more than 500 homicides, more than any city in the nation. “But our goal is to build the trust and confidence with public”.

“He has become an issue, rather than dealing with the issue, and a distraction”, Emanuel said of Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel installed Escalante as the interim head of the department while a replacement is looked for, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The video shows that McDonald, who was walking down a street holding a small folding knife, was several feet away from the officer and not moving toward him when the officer opened fire. Many see the city’s shroud over the McDonald footage as having delayed the massive protests that have become part of the nationwide debate on race and policing.

I also talked about the unanswered questions surrounding the shooting and delayed release of the video on Watchdog Wednesday, the BGA’s regular WBBM Newsradio segment.

The video sparked protests within Chicago, including a Black Friday protests on the city’s affluent Magnificent Mile. They rallied day after day, peacefully interrupting holiday shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend. Van Dyke’s lawyer has said the shooting was justified because the officer feared for his life.

The video of the shooting of the October 20, 2014 shooting was only made public after the city was sued by independent journalist Brandon Smith for its release.

The mayor also announced the formation of a police task force that will study ways to improve one of the nation’s largest police departments, and make recommendations to the City Council by May 2016.

When the video was released last week, Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder.

November 30: Chicago resident Jabari R. Dean is charged in a federal complaint with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

November 29: The University of Chicago announces it is canceling all classes and activities on November 30 because of a threat mentioning the quad and 10 a.m. Monday.

“I’m grateful for his service to the city”, he said, adding that the superintendent had modernized the department and delivered results.