U.S. & World News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The death of Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott has been ruled a suicide.

A source tells CBS station WMMB-TV Chief correspondent Jay Levine that Scott, 60, died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and that his body was found next to the river, with the gun underneath him.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office has ruled Scott's death a suicide.

In a statement, Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman said, "We are heartbroken and saddened by the unspeakable tragedy. Our immediate thoughts are with Michael's family and everyone who was touched by him. Michael Scott's commitment to Chicago Public Schools, and especially to our school children, was longstanding. On behalf of his CPS family, he will be greatly missed."

Also in a statement, Scott's family said it "deeply appreciates the outpouring of support during this time of unimaginable grief. Our personal loss is also shared by many throughout Chicago, the home he loved so much. We will miss him greatly."

As of 11 a.m., Scott's body was at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, 2121 W. Harrison St., awaiting an autopsy.

Chicago firefighters hosed off the scene of the death investigation near the Chicago River at Kinzie Street late Monday morning. Reports came in that a body was found in the river overnight.

About 4:30 a.m. they recovered Scott's body, but according to CBS 2's sources, it was not in the water, but rather on the banks at the base of the upright bridge. Scott's Cadillac was found nearby.

"We are left stunned in disbelief and shock and lots of pain. People are calling crying, we can't believe it's him and we don't know what happened," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Jackson said he saw no indication that Scott would want to take his own life. He was with him just last week and they had been friends for more than 25 years.

"He came up through the ranks from the streets of Chicago. He had the real roots connection in Chicago," he said.

Cook County Board President Todd H. Stroger released a statement in an email Monday morning regarding Scott¹s death. My wife and I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Scott, Stroger said in the email.

Marilyn Stewart, Chicago Teachers Union president, also offered her condolences. In a statement, she said she spoke with Scott on Saturday about an upcoming Board of Education meeting.

"He recently told me he didn't think he was going to be around for long and saw his appointment as president being an interim one," Stewart said.

She added that "his death leaves a huge void to fill at a time when the Board desperately needs stability in its leadership."

Scott was reported missing from his Near West Side home by his family late Sunday afternoon.

Scott served three terms on the Chicago Board of Education.

A native of the West Side's Lawndale neighborhood and a CPS graduate, Scott graduated from Fordham University, and began his professional life as an urban planner. He later became the director of community development for the Lawndale People's Planning and Action Council.

Scott served his first term on the Board of Education in 1980 and 1981, under Mayor Jane Byrne, where he helped marshal support for a school desegregation plan and headed up the committee on real estate.

Under Mayor Harold Washington, Scott served as the Director of Special Events and the Special Assistant to the Mayor in charge of communications. He also served as Special Events director under Mayor Eugene Sawyer.

In 1996, Scott was appointed President of the Chicago Park District Board. He returned to the Board of Education in 2001, when Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed him as president. He worked with now-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to raise test scores and attendance rates, his CPS biography says.

Scott moved on to become National Board of the Directors of the YMCA in 2006, and served on the Board of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority in 2007. Mayor Daley named Scott to the Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation Authority in 2008.

Scott returned as CPS President in February 2009. In recent years, his tenure has not been without controversy.

Recently, the Chicago School Board has been criticized about the death of Fenger High School student Derrion Albert. Some parents lay part of the blame on Albert's Sept. 24 beating death on the policies of the Renaissance 2010 program, which closed several schools and consolidated others.

Among those closed was Carver High School in the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood, and students from Carver had to go to Fenger five miles away. Tension rose between students from Altgeld Gardens and the neighborhood surrounding Fenger, which led to fights – among them the one in which Albert died.

Scott had been questioned about this issue, and reportedly was very upset about it.

Scott was also subpoenaed last summer by a federal grand jury investigating how students are chosen for admission to elite public schools. The probe was to determine whether some students were being "clouted" in.

Scott said at the time he was surprised by the subpoena and flatly denied that he has ever flexed his political muscle -- during two stints as board president – to clout any student into a "selective enrollment" school.

Scott also drew controversy while sitting on the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee. He had failed to disclose the involvement of his real estate firm, Michael Scott and Associates, in a real estate development near Douglas Park, where the Olympic cycling venue would have been located.

He insisted he would not profit from the deal.

"I would not profit . . . not at all," Scott told reporters at a Chicago Board of Education press conference.

He was responding to a published report contending he was "potentially positioning himself to cash in" if the Olympics come to Chicago because he was helping a group of ministers try to turn some city-owned lots across from what could have been an Olympic site into affordable housing. Chicago eventually lost out to Rio de Janiero, which will host the 2016 Summer Games.

Scott noted at the time that the ministers, whom he said he has known for years, came to him with their development idea in the summer of 2006 -- a year before he was appointed to a committee that has been trying to bring the Olympics to Chicago.

Scott said he agreed to advise the ministers on how to put the deal together, navigate city departments and train people on how to sell affordable housing.

Any profits were to be split among the ministers because "I have no monetary interest," Scott said. "These people are my friends. They asked for my help and I helped them on a part-time basis."

The city has shown no interest in the idea for two years, said Scott.

"The city has no formal plan or deal for any lots to be sold or conveyed for any amount of money for this proposal," Scott said.

Scott owns Michael Scott and Associates, a real estate development firm.

There was no word as of 11 a.m. from anyone close to him if that set him back financially, nor is there any information about his finances at this time.

West Side Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) praised Scott on Monday, saying "he was a great individual who added value to every position he served" in city government.

Carothers -- who was indicted in May for allegedly accepting $40,000 in home improvements, meals and sports tickets from a West Side developer in exchange for zoning changes that netted the developer millions -- spent a year secretly recording public officials and real estate developers for the feds, the Sun-Times disclosed earlier this year.

On Monday, Carothers cut off a conversation with a reporter when asked whether he had recorded any conversations with Scott.

He would only say, "He was just a great friend and a great individual. My heart goes out to his family. It's just a tragedy."

Carothers said he has known Scott for "15-to-20 years, at least."

"He was a great negotiator, a great facilitator," the alderman said.

Pressed further about any business dealings he might have had with Scott, Carothers said, "All I have is what I gave you." He then hung up the phone.

Chicago Police are still investigating.

Arrangements for a public memorial service will be announced shortly.

WBBM's Susan Carlson, Chief Correspondent Jay Levine, and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

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