CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- As Adam Toledo’s family waits to see body cam video in his police shooting death, prosecutors shared more details about the incident over the weekend.
Prosecutors said 13-year-old Adam Toledo was holding a gun in his right hand and had been told repeatedly to drop it before he turned towards a Chicago police officer, who then shot the boy in the chest.
Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy described body cam footage in a bond hearing for 21-year-old Ruben Roman, who had been with Adam and allegedly fired the gunshots that set off a ShotSpotter alert, drawing officers to the scene in Little Village. Roman now faces felony charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, child endangerment, and violating probation.
Murphy said Adam was holding the gun that had previously been fired by Roman when Adam was shot in the chest by a police officer. He said if Roman didn’t bring Toledo with him, fired several shots and then ran none of this would have happened.
“If [Roman] does not bring [Adam] with him at 2:30 in the morning, if he doesn’t bring his gun with him while on gun offender probation, if he doesn’t shoot that gun seven or eight times on a city street with [Adam] standing right next to him...and then fleeing with that gun, none of this would have happened,” Murphy said Saturday at a bail hearing for 21-year-old Ruben Roman.
According to the Sun-Times, prosecutors said nearby surveillance video captured Roman firing shots early on the morning of March 29 while Adam stood next to him at 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue.
Murphy said after firing the shots, Roman ran north with Adam on Sawyer and ducked into an alley near 23rd Street, where officers spotted them about a minute later.
According to Murphy, an officer took down Roman and a pair of gloves were knocked loose that were later found to have gunshot residue on them.
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Another officer chased Adam, who eventually stopped in the alley, Murphy said, citing the officer’s body cam footage. The officer repeatedly told Adam to “drop it,” Murphy said.
When Adam, who allegedly had Roman's gun in his right hand, turned toward the officer, the officer shot him in the chest. Murphy said body cam footage showed the officer called to an ambulance and performed chest compressions, but Adam was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
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Prosecutors indicated handgun that fell from Adam’s hand had previously been used by Roman. It matched the seven shell casings that were later recovered at the site where Roman fired the initial shots, Murphy said.
Roman’s public defender said there’s no proof the gun was his, that he was wearing the red gloves that tested positive for gunshot residue, or that he brought Adam, saying Adam Toledo is dead at the hands of police, not Roman.
A judge ordered Roman jailed on $150,000 bail. He is due back in court April 19.
Attorneys for the Toledo family said Saturday that they had not yet seen the body cam video of the shooting nor examined evidence in the case.
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