CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lightfoot said now that the family of 13-year-old Adam Toledo has seen video of his March 29 killing by a Chicago police, she too has seen the video, but she won’t talk about what she saw.
Mayor Lightfoot said, in fact, there are multiple videos of young Adam Toledo’s fatal encounter with police late last month and she believes she has seen them all. The teenager’s family has asked the Civilian Office of Police Accountability not to make the video public just yet. The Mayor said she understands it’s a difficult circumstance.
"First and foremost we have a family that is still incredibly in the frozen grief. A mom and father who have lost their son, siblings that have lost their brother, grandparents...so I want to be respectful of the family, but I also do think something like a police-involved shooting, particularly under these circumstances, it's important for us to be transparent," she said.
When pressed, Mayor Lightfoot refused to describe what she saw on the videos or offer her thoughts on them. She said she doesn’t want to get in the way of ongoing investigations.
Mayor Lightfoot did not indicate when the video of the fatal incident would be made public.
"We are going to work with the family to move this process along, but I think we have to be respectful of them and move at their speed," she said.
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Authorities said Tuesday night they would not immediately release the video publicly at the Toledo family’s request.
“Today the Civilian Office of Police Accountability provided the Toledo family an opportunity to view video and other materials of the March 29, 2021, fatal officer-involved shooting of 13-year old Adam Toledo,” COPA said in a statement late Tuesday. “Over the last two weeks, COPA has maintained regular contact with the family and its representatives during this sensitive time to expedite todays viewing in coordination with their availability.
“At the request of the Toledo family, today COPA will not immediately release video and other materials as the family continues to grieve their loss,” the statement continued. “COPA has advised family representatives that, while it is acutely sensitive to the family’s grief and their desire to avoid public release of materials related to Adam’s tragic death, COPA is mandated to comply with the city’s video release policy.”
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The Toledo family left COPA’s offices Tuesday without commenting. Their lawyer’s office released a statement Tuesday night saying attorneys there would continue their own investigation.
“The experience was extremely difficult and heartbreaking for everyone present and especially for Adam’s family,” the statement said of the video viewing. “We want to thank COPA for giving the Toledo family the opportunity to review body camera video and other evidence before its public release.”