Authorities say Chicago school board president apparently shot self in head near Chicago River

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Chicago schools president’s death ruled a suicide

CHICAGO — Chicago’s school board president apparently shot himself in the head near the Chicago River before dawn Monday, officials said as his death was met with disbelief by civic leaders and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott had said in August that he had been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating allegations of politically influenced admissions to top schools, but authorities did not immediately make any connection between the legal case and his death.

Police said Scott’s body and a .380-caliber handgun were found on an embankment near a riverside loading dock about 3:15 a.m. after his car was discovered nearby. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a suicide, although police said they would continue with a death investigation.

“It is simply too early for us to draw any conclusions,” Police Superintendent Jody Weis told reporters Monday afternoon.

Scott, 60, was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Sunday and Weis said Scott’s wife called it unusual for him not to return home before midnight. His family reported him missing overnight.

Chicago Police were looking for security camera video and tracking the gun’s registration, Weis said. He said investigators still were looking into whether Scott left a suicide note.

“I am shocked and stunned beyond belief,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a statement in which he called Scott, an “incredibly intelligent man” and his friend for “more than 25 years.”

Scott revealed in August that he’d been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating allegations of politically influenced admissions to Chicago’s nine selective-enrollment high schools. Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman launched the investigation in July after his office learned policies may have been violated.

Scott said at the time that he had confidence in the selection process and others should, too.

Scott also drew questions last summer about his service on the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee when he disclosed involvement with a group developing city-owned vacant lots near the site of a proposed Olympic venue. Scott, who also owned a real estate development company formed in 2001, broke ties with the group. City bid officials said Scott should have disclosed his involvement earlier, while saying he wasn’t profiting from the deal.

More recently, Scott reacted to the September beating death of Fenger High School honor student Derrion Albert, which was caught on a cell phone camera, by convening a meeting with Mayor Richard Daley, students, parents and school officials.

Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools before joining President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, said Chicago “has lost a great leader.”

Family members issued a statement through the district saying they appreciated the outpouring of support.

Scott grew up in the city’s Lawndale neighborhood, attended Chicago Public Schools and was appointed to the school board three times. During his second term, he “organized aggressive back-to-school campaigns that resulted in some of the highest first-day attendance rates in the district’s history,” according to the school district’s Web site.

He also had served as Chicago Park District Board president.

Scott graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning. In his early career, he rehabbed housing units and built a senior citizen center and a nursing home. He also helped establish the Community Bank of Lawndale.

“His contributions to the minority communities of Cook County will be sorely missed,” Cook County Board President Todd Stroger in a statement. “In particular, his love for the upward mobility of residents from Chicago’s Westside where he spent his life.”

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., called Scott “an outstanding public servant, a champion for the little guy and a remarkable example of excellence.”

Associated Press Writer Karen Hawkins contributed to this report.