Garry McCarthy Is Out As Chicago's Police Chief

By Kate Shepherd in News on Dec 1, 2015 5:05PM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has fired Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy less than a week after the release of the video of Laquan McDonald's fatal shooting at the hands of a Chicago police officer.

Emanuel called McCarthy overnight to tell him that his time as CPD chief was over after they met at City Hall on Monday, the Sun-Times reports. McCarthy was reportedly "shellshocked" by the news. Emanuel made the announcement this morning while announcing a new police accountability task force.

The news comes on the heels of widespread criticism over how the mayor and McCarthy handled the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer and the subsequent release of a chilling video of the shooting last week.

Emanuel said he remains "loyal" to McCarthy and the work he's done but Chicago needs a new police chief to rebuild trust.

"No one person trumps my commitment and my responsibility to the City of Chicago and its future," Emanuel said.

Facing questions from reporters over calls for his own resignation, and whether he's become a "distraction" as mayor, Emanuel said he's doing his job as mayor.

"I'm responsible to the public to do the job of being mayor and you earn that trust every day," he said.

Emanuel is still deciding whether or not to go through with his planned trip to the Paris Climate Change Conference on Thursday, he said.