The Latest: Alderman says 'right decision' to fire McCarthy
By Associated Press
Dec 1, 2015 11:35 AM CST
FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, Attorney General Loretta Lynch greets Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in the Old Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has fired McCarthy after a public outcry over the handling of the case...   (Associated Press)

CHICAGO (AP) — The latest on the aftermath of the shooting of a black teenager by a white Chicago police officer and an online threat against the University of Chicago (all times local):

11:35 a.m.

Chicago Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. says Mayor Rahm Emanuel made the "right decision" to fire Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

Emanuel announced McCarthy's firing Tuesday. It came amid an outcry about a video showing a white Chicago police officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times.

Brookins is among the first to offer reaction to McCarthy's firing. He says he appreciates Emanuel's "willingness to change course."

Activists and a number of aldermen, particularly members of the Chicago City Council's Black Caucus, have been calling for McCarthy's resignation for some time due to the city's crime rate and questions of department transparency.

Emanuel also announced a newly created Task Force on Police Accountability on Tuesday.

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11:30 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named an interim police chief until a permanent replacement is found for the superintendent, which he fired Tuesday.

Chief of Detectives John Escalante will oversee the police department in the interim.

Emanuel praised the leadership of outgoing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

But he called it an "undeniable fact" that the public's trust in the police has been eroded after a public outcry over the handling of the case of a black teenager shot 16 times by a white police officer.

Emanuel said, "Now is the time for fresh eyes and leadership."

The mayor wants the next chief to guard public safety while restoring trust between the community and the police.

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11:05 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has fired the city's police chief after a public outcry over the handling of the case of a black teenager shot 16 times by a white police officer.

Emanuel announced at a news conference Tuesday that he has dismissed Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who only days ago insisted to reporters that the mayor had his "back."

Protesters have been calling for McCarthy's dismissal for days in response to the handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting. The black 17-year-old was shot 16 times by a white police officer in October 2014.

The city released police dashcam video of the shooting only after a judge ordered it to be made public. Its release last week set off several days of largely peaceful protests. Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder.

McCarthy has been chief since May 2011.

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10:30 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has tapped high-profile leaders for the newly created Task Force on Police Accountability.

The mayor's office said in a Tuesday news release that former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is a Chicago native, will be a senior adviser for the panel. The former director of the Illinois State Police, Hiram Grau, will be a member, along with Chicago Police Board president Lori Lightfoot.

Emanuel says the task force is necessary after Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is white, fatally shot Laquan McDonald, a black 17-year-old, 16 times in 2014, a video of which was released last week and set off protests.

Emanuel says McDonald's death "requires more than just words."

Among the panel's responsibilities, it will improve oversight of police misconduct, find best ways to identify and evaluate officers with repeated complaints and recommend how to release videos of police-involved incidents.

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10:20 a.m.

Classes have resumed at the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus.

University spokesman Jeremy Manier said Tuesday morning that operations were back to normal. The university closed the school on Chicago's South Side and canceled classes Monday after receiving an online threat that 16 white men on campus would be killed.

Previously, the university said there would be additional security through the remainder of the autumn quarter. Winter break starts Dec. 12.

A 21-year-old University of Illinois at Chicago student, Jabari Dean, was charged with making the threat and is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Chicago federal court.

Dean made the threat in retaliation for the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white Chicago police officer. The officer has been charged with first-degree murder.

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8 a.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office says he will create a Task Force on Police Accountability.

Emanuel will hold a news conference Tuesday morning to announce the new effort. His office says the task force will review the Chicago Police Department's current systems for accountability, oversight and training.

A mayoral spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an email asking if the move comes in response to a rash of protests following the release of a video showing a white police officer shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.

The panel will include victims' rights representatives, law enforcement organizations, young people and elected leaders. The panel's recommendations will be presented to Emanuel and the Chicago City Council by March 31.

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1 a.m.

The University of Chicago is set to reopen a day after a 21-year-old man was charged with making an online threat that 16 white men on campus would be killed.

The posting suggested the killings would be in retaliation for the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white Chicago police officer.

The campus is set to reopen Tuesday.

Security experts say the university may have felt it had no choice to shut down for a day.

The city has been on tenterhooks amid protests that followed last week's release of video showing the officer shooting the teen 16 times. Michael Fagel teaches emergency management at several universities, including in Illinois. He says that may have helped force the university's hand.

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