FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Fort Worth has fired its police chief.

City Manager David Cooke announced that Joel Fitzgerald was removed from the job Monday. Cooke says the firing was motivated by several factors, including a recent "incident" in Washington, D.C. that brought Fitzgerald's "judgment and leadership" into question.

Fitzgerald confirmed his abrupt ouster, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram : "I'm fired." Cooke says the chief was offered the chance to resign.

The president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, Manny Ramirez, says officers are "looking forward to the next era of leadership."

Cooke says Executive Assistant Chief Edwin Kraus will lead the department in Texas' fifth most populous city until a new chief is hired. He says there is no timeline for making for filling the job.

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