Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Chicago police say they have found no evidence that Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott was the victim of a homicide. But they say the investigation is ongoing.

Police Supt. Jody Weis said Wednesday that tests found gunshot residue on Scott's left hand. Scott was left-handed and was shot in the left temple. His body was found partially submerged in the Chicago River on Monday.

Weis said the .380-caliber gun found underneath Scott's body was Scott's gun. Scott bought it in 1981, but was not registered legally. His Cadillac was also found at the scene.

The superintendent also said divers recovered Scott's money clip from the water, and it appears to be intact with cash and credit cards.  But Weis said police still need to know more before closing the case.

"We still have a few ends we'd like to tie up. We're waiting for ballistics to determine if that weapon, the rounds in that weapon actually caused the wound to his head. And there's some video footage we want to recover."

A group of city ministers and activists also said Wednesday that they want absolute proof before they'll believe Scott killed himself.

They did not mince any words on Wednesday.

"It was a hit," said community activist Kublai Toure.

Members of Chicago's African American community, ministers and activists said they refuse to believe the Cook County Medical Examiner's office ruling that Scott killed himself.

Harold Davis said, "Michael belonged to us and we belonged to him and we're not gonna rest until we find out what happened to Michael Scott."

So what do they think happened? Who do they think would want to hurt Scott?

Toure said, "That's a good question. That's the question that we've been asking ourselves."

Cook County Medical Examiner Nancy Lynne Jones said Tuesday that she believes unequivocally that Scott died at his own hand.

"Actually the gunshot wounds themselves are the type that we see in suicides, not the type that we see in homicide cases," Jones said. "This is a hard contact-range gunshot wound to the head, which means that the gun was held directly against the head and actually pressed against the head; which is something that we see in suicides."

Jones said two detectives present during the autopsy agreed with the suicide ruling. She also accused police of violating state law by moving Scott's body without permission from her office.

Mayor Richard M. Daley blasted Jones on Wednesday, accusing her of grandstanding.

"Regardless of what the medical examiner says, they have to do a thorough investigation and come to the conclusion. He or she can say anything they want," Daley said.

Detectives were looking for any other clues in Scott's Blackberry cell phone, left on a ledge near the river. He was last seen at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after visiting his sister at a South Loop nursing home. Police News Affairs Director Roderick Drew said the last outgoing call on Scott's cell phone was at 3:46 p.m. Sunday.

Police were also checking cameras across the river from where he died, but Weis said the cameras with the best view of the scene were not working.

"Cameras that we believe would have given us excellent footage were inoperable," Weis said. "So we're forced to use other cameras which will not give us the view of the actual location as we were hoping for, but it should at hopefully put his car being moved and hopefully we can see him driving the car and see if he is actually alone."

Weis said Scott's cell phone showed nothing unusual in the types of calls he made. He said it would likely take another week for police to complete their review of all the information and evidence in Scott's death.

But that did not appear to be good enough for the ministers and activists who spoke out Wednesday. They said they want the Illinois Attorney General's office and federal authorities to conduct an investigation.

At the time of his death, Scott was under scrutiny for how he used his Board of Education credit card, just before his death, according to new reports Wednesday morning. 

The Chicago Tribune reported Scott and his wife charged their trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, to lobby for Chicago's unsuccessful 2016 Olympic bid in early October.

The total cost was around $3,000.

Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond told the Tribune a preliminary inquiry into the matter is underway. She confirmed that Scott had started to pay back the money and had written a check for part of the bill as recently as last week.

Also Wednesday, because of Scott's death, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Chicago Board of Education has been canceled.

Remarks and tributes to Scott are also expected Wednesday morning during the City Council meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at City Hall.

In further addition, ministers and community leaders will gather on the city's West Side Wednesday morning to talk about Scott's death. They will gather at 11 a.m. at 3500 W. Cermak Rd.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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