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December 2, 2015

Chicago Police Chief Fired amid Calls for Mayor Emanuel’s Resignation 
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In Chicago, Police Chief Garry Mc Carthy has been fired as protests
continue over the police killing of 17-year-old Laquan Mc Donald, who
was shot 16 times by white police officer Jason Van Dyke more than a
year ago. Chicago authorities withheld the police dashcam video of the
fatal shooting for more than a year and only released it last week under
a court order. The footage clearly contradicts the police claim Mc
Donald lunged at Officer Van Dyke with a small knife. Instead, the video
shows the teenager posing no threat and walking away from the officers
at a distance as Officer Van Dyke jumps out of his police car and fires
16 bullets into Mc Donald's body. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced
Tuesday he had asked for, and received, Police Chief Garry Mc Carthy's
resignation. Mayor Emanuel himself is facing increasing calls to resign
over what many are describing as a cover-up. In April, during the
mayor's re-election campaign, the city agreed to a pre-emptive $5
million settlement with Laquan Mc Donald's family after they obtained
video footage of the killing. The terms of the settlement, which was
offered before the family even brought a lawsuit, required the video
remain confidential. The settlement itself was not made public until
after Emanuel's re-election. Meanwhile, Officer Jason Van Dyke, who
killed teenager Laquan Mc Donald, is free on bond.

 

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