Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel answered the call of angry protesters on Tuesday by firing Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy in wake of the public outrage over the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

While speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning, Emanuel announced that he has asked for McCarthy to resign, reports CNN. The announcement comes after protesters demanded that McCarthy step down over the way the police department handled the death of McDonald.

"I have a lot of support and confidence in the work that he has done," Emanuel said at City Hall, according to USA Today. "But our goal is to build the trust and confidence with the public. At this point and this juncture for the city, given what we're working on, he has become an issue rather than someone dealing with the issue."

The mayor went on to say that "Superintendent McCarthy knows that a police officer is only as effective as when he has the trust of those he serves."

The mayor also announced the creation of a police accountability task force to improve police and community relations. The major said the task force will review the system of accountability, police oversight and training in the Chicago police department, reports Reuters.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the task force will consist of a five-member panel advised by Chicago native and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. It will be charged with recommending reforms aimed at improving "independent oversight of police misconduct" that will be presented to the mayor next year.

The Tuesday morning conference was held one week after Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting McDonald 16 times. The city also released video footage of McDonald's shooting more than a year after the incident took place on Oct. 20, 2014. In the dash cam video, the African-American teen is seen walking in the middle of a two-way street, when multiple police cars drive toward him. Then, just six seconds after arriving on the scene, Van Dyke jumps out of his vehicle and open fires at McDonald, who was armed with a knife and had PCP in his system, according to a criminal complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court.