The Chicago cop who fatally shot a black teenager 16 times appeared in court and was released from jail Monday after posting bail, just a day before Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the midst of the city outcry over the shooting.
Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder last week for the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting of
17-year-old Laquan McDonald, USA Today reported. Protesters gathered after a judge ordered authorities to release a dashcam video of the shooting, which showed Van Dyke firing 16 shots at the teenager, some as McDonald lay on the ground.
He was released Monday after posting 10 percent of his $1.5 million bail.
Many had questioned why it took prosecutors so long after the shooting to file charges and, on Tuesday, Emanuel announced that he asked for the resignation of Police Superintendent McCarthy because the public did not trust
police leadership, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Previously, Emanuel had expressed support for McCarthy regarding the way the shooting was handled and how it was being investigated, the newspaper said.
The Chicago police force has long been criticized for problems with "corruption, torture, wrongful convictions, and lax discipline," the Tribune wrote, although authorities attempted to paint the McDonald shooting as a one-time incident and not evidence of a systemic problem.
Right after the shooting, the Chicago police union said McDonald lunged toward officers with a knife before he was killed and that he was approaching officers, the Tribune said. However, the video showed the teenager was moving away from the officers when Van Dyke opened fire.
Opinions on McCarthy's firing and the shooting are bringing commenters online.
"Mob rule! Now they know how to 'transform' the city, how to get people they dislike fired, how to hurt the very businesses that fund the city, and how to reward intimidation. Detroit, here we come," one person commented on the Tribune article.
"Hahahahahaha . . . Awesome! If only Rahm would dismiss himself for failing public trust, we would be all set!" another wrote.
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