Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unexpectedly fired Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Monday (December 2) following what she described as a "series of ethical lapses." This comes after Johnson, who served in his position for three years, was found asleep behind the wheel of his car on Oct. 17 after Johnson told Lightfood he had "a couple of drinks with dinner."
Johnson addressed the incident in a press conference while announcing his retirement last month, explaining, "This job has taken its toll — taken a toll on my health, my family, my friends. But my integrity has remained intact." At the time, Lightfoot supported Johnson, stating, "These stars can sometimes feel like carrying the weight of the world."
However, Lightfoot changed her stance after investigating the incident, which she revealed in a statement. She wrote, "Upon a thorough review of the materials of the Inspector General's ongoing investigation, it has become clear that Mr. Johnson engaged in a series of ethical lapses that are intolerable. Eddie Johnson intentionally lied to me several times even when I challenged him about the narrative that he shared with me. He maintained that he was telling the truth. I now know definitively that he was not."
While Lightfoot says the details of the investigation may become public, she declined to share more information, stating, "I don't feel like it is appropriate or fair to Mr. Johnson's wife or children to do so at this time." She added that the inspector general's report and videotape evidence "makes it clear that the only choice that I had to take was the one that I've taken. There's no gray area here."
More details to come.
Source: NBC News
