CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Video of police fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo in a Little Village alley last month was released Thursday afternoon, and city officials urged the community to keep any protests peaceful after viewing what Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls the 'excruciating' material.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) released bodycam video and a variety of other materials related to the fatal officer-involved shooting on March 29.
It occurred after police officers responded to reports of shots fired near 24th and Sawyer around 2:30 a.m. Authorities have said there was some kind of confrontation between an officer and Toledo. The boy was shot in the chest.
Among the materials released is body cam video from the officer who shot Toledo. It shows the officer parking in an alley and pursuing a running figure. The officer tells Toledo to stop and show his hands. The boy appears to hold up his hands. Within a second, the officer fires once, and Toledo crumples to the ground.
The officer runs up to the boy and calls for backup and tells Toledo, who is bleeding, to hold on.
Police say they found a gun at the scene.
Toledo family attorney Adeena Weiss Ortiz on Thursday said the shooting was not justified. She said perhaps Toledo was holding a gun when initially pursued by police, but the video indicates the gun was out of his hands by the time he was shot.
“If he had a gun, he tossed it. The officer said, ’Show me your hands.’ He complied. He turned around," the attorney said.
COPA’s investigation into the seventh-grader’s death comes at a tense time in Chicago and other U.S. cities that also are reckoning with complaints that police use excessive force, particularly against minorities. Toledo’s death has also prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to direct the Chicago Police Department to re-examine its approach to foot pursuits, which she says can be dangerous for officers and the public.
Earlier Thursday, she said she watched the videos related to the boy's death, calling them "excruciating" and "incredibly difficult to watch, particularly at the end."
The mayor has declined to weigh in on the contents of the material, citing ongoing investigations. Lightfoot noted the officer who shot the youth immediately began trying to resuscitate him and called for emergency services.
The officer currently is on administrative duty.
A 21-year-old man who was with Toledo, Ruben Roman, faces weapons charges. Authorities have said Roman fired the initial gunshots that drew the police response.
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