Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel confirmed at a press conference Tuesday that Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has been fired. McCarthy had been called into City Hall on Monday and when he left he was still employed, however he was later contacted by Emanuel overnight to tell him he was out of a job, according to RT.
McCarthy has a long record in law enforcement before being hired by Emanuel in 2011 after his first choice for the position, former Chicago Deputy Superintendent Charles Ramsey, had demanded a salary of more than $400K.
He was a former operations chief at the New York Police Department who later went on to run the police department in Newark, N.J., and was even hailed as hero during the 2012 NATO summit for leading his men from the front and diffusing a potential volatile confrontation with Black Bloc, a tactic used for protests and marches where participants wear all black, provocateurs at Cermak and Michigan, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Emanuel was well aware of this during the conference saying: "[McCarthy's record] is a strong one, and one he can be proud of. Now is the a time for fresh eyes and new leadership."
Despite his aforementioned record, what ultimately lead to his dismissal was the controversy surrounding the McDonald case, along with the gang execution of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee in early November, according to CBS News.
"Public trust in the department has been eroded," Emmanuel said in announcing the firing.
