Mayor says decision was based on investigation into incident in which Eddie Johnson was found asleep behind wheel of his SUV

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot, said on Monday she had fired the police superintendent, Eddie Johnson, due to his “ethical lapses”.

She said her decision was based on a review of an inspector general’s report on its investigation into a recent incident in which he was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV, and his acknowledgment to the mayor that he had had a “couple of drinks” with dinner that night. Lightfoot did not provide additional detail.

In a statement, Lightfoot said: “Mr Johnson was intentionally dishonest with me and communicated a narrative replete with false statements regarding material aspects of the incident that happened in the early morning hours of October 17.

“Had I known all the facts at the time, I would have relieved him of his duties as superintendent then and there.”

Johnson, a native Chicagoan, announced in November that he would retire at the end of the year after more than 30 years with the department. He had held just about every rank on the police force.

He was named superintendent in 2016 by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who had fired Superintendent Garry McCarthy after the release of the now-infamous video of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting Laquan McDonald.