*New details are emerging about what prompted Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to fire former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson less than a month before he was due to retire
We previously reported… Lightfoot took the dramatic step of canning Johnson on Monday (Dec. 2) for allegedly lying about falling asleep in his car after ‘a few drinks in October.
As was reported then, Johnson was found asleep behind the wheel of his car on October 17 at 12:30am after another motorist called 911.
When an officer approached him, he blamed his drowsiness on a mix-up with medication he was taking and noted that he had a “few” drinks at dinner.
At a press conference, Mayor Lightfoot accused Johnson of deliberately “misleading” her, the city and the police department about what really went down that night.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Respect! History! Rosa Parks Honored with Statue on 64th Anniversay of Montgomery Bus Boycott – VIDEO
Insiders tell CBS Chicago, that Johnson had been out drinking with a woman who was not his wife hours before he was found slumped over the steering.
“A lie is a lie,” Lightfoot said at Monday during the news conference. “He told me something that happened that night that turned out to be fundamentally different than what he portrayed to me and what he portrayed to members of the public.”
The mayor said a city Inspector General’s report and video evidence from the investigation confirmed Johnson lied about the circumstances of the incident, the outlet reports. The mayor did not go into specifics during the presser.
“I think out of deference to his wife and his children, it’s not my narrative to tell, it’s not my story to tell,” she said.
“He was not caught off-guard, and he had plenty of time to choose his words, and the choice he made was to communicate a narrative replete with false statements, all seemingly intended to hide the true nature of his conduct from the evening before,” Lightfoot added.
Had she known the full truth of the situation, the mayor said she would not have allowed Johnson to simply retire.
“That’s why I decided to take this clear and decisive action today. The old Chicago way must give way to the new reality. Ethical leadership, integrity, accountability, legitimacy and – yes – honesty must be the hallmarks of city government,” she said. “The 13,400 sworn [officers] and the civilian members of the Chicago Police Department who work hard every day deserve a leader they can believe in.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
