Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy fired amid backlash from LaQuan McDonald shooting

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, right, appears at a news conference with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, left. (Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has forced Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to resign.

The announcement comes on Tuesday with the formation of a task force to review the city’s police department conduct. Both Mayor Emanuel and Superintendent McCarthy have faced sweeping criticism for the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old LaQuan McDonald.

Both officials fought to prevent the public from viewing the dashcam video of the incident, but when a court released the footage, demonstrations broke out in downtown Chicago demanding the mayor and superintendent's resignation.

"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," Mayor Emanuel said during a press conference.

McCarthy has also been criticized for his response after the fatal police shooting of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd in 2012. Just last week, he promised to fire the officer involved after he was acquitted from the case.