Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today (December 1) that the city’s police superintendent would be fired amid steady violence in Chicago and the controversial handling of Laquan McDonald’s shooting.

Last week, video of officer Jason Van Dyke fatally firing 16 shots at McDonald was released more than a year after the incident. It took a lawsuit and a Freedom of Information Act request to secure the footage from police. On the day the video release, Van Dyke, who is white, was charged with murder for shooting McDonald, 17, only hours before the footage was made public. Protest ensued as demonstrators march to demand justice.

Garry F. McCarthy, the police chief, was brought in by Emmanuel in 2011, to help combat Chicago’s high crime actvity. The city has been plaqued by a number of shootings and gang violence. McDonald, who is black, reportedly was carrying a knife at the time of his death, however, police said the teen lunged at Van Dyke, which video did not confirm.