Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he formally asked Garry F McCarthy, the Chicago police superintendent, for his resignation yesterday, a week after video footage of the shooting was released and the officer was charged with murder.
Emanuel cited a lack of public trust in the police as the reason for the dismissal of McCarthy.
"He has become an issue, rather than dealing with the issue, and a distraction," Emanuel told reporters after firing McCarthy, who headed America's second largest law enforcement agency after New York City.
"Now is the time for fresh eyes and new leadership to confront the challenges the department and our community and our city are facing as we go forward," he added.
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"The horrifying shooting of McDonald requires more than words of sadness. It requires that we act, that we take more concrete steps to prevent such abuses in the future, secure the rights and safety of all Chicagoans, and build stronger bonds of trust between our police department, the men and women,"Emanuel said.
After the release of the video, social tension has flared up in Chicago.
The more-than-weeklong protests and public backlash - in Chicago and across the country - contributed to McCarthy's ouster, The Chicago Tribune said.
In an editorial local Chicago Sun said now that McCarthy has been fired, Emanuel must find a worthy replacement without making "racial tensions brought to a boil" by the shooting video.