A police oversight agency released body-cam footage on Thursday of an encounter between police and a 13-year old boy where the youth was fatally shot.
What We Know:
- The incident occurred on March 29th in Little Village, a Hispanic neighborhood in southwest Chicago. Gunshots were heard on a police audio scanner around 2:30 a.m. Shortly afterward, police confronted Adam Toledo, 13, and Ruben Roman, 21. Officers tackled Roman and took him into custody.
- According to the video footage, officer Eric Stillman exited his vehicle and proceeded to chase Toledo down an alleyway. Upon reaching the teen, the officer commanded Toledo to raise his hands, shouting “Drop it!” As Toledo began to raise his hands, the officer fired a single shot, causing the boy to drop to the ground. Stillman then called for backup while administering first aid.
- According to AP, police claim that Toledo had a handgun on him before the shooting; The footage shows Stillman shining a light on a gun on the ground near where Toledo was shot. Stillman’s attorney Tim Grace stated he was faced with a “life-threatening” situation leaving him “no choice but to shoot”.
- But, an attorney for the Toledo family said whether or not Adam had a gun is irrelevant. Adeena Weiss-Ortiz told reporters that the bodycam videos “speak for themselves.” She noted that “If he had a gun, he tossed it,” before Toledo turned to face the officer.
- Chicago has a history of police violence. In 2014, a white officer shot Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager, 16 times. The city tried to prevent the release of body-cam footage from the incident but was eventually ordered by a judge to do it.
- The tragic shooting comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents involving police. On April 11th, police shot and killed 20-year old Duante Wright in a Minneapolis suburb. This occurred at the same time as the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd. Also, last December, officers were caught on video pepper-spraying a Black Army officer and holding him at gunpoint.
Stillman is currently under investigation by a police accountability board. In a statement, the family of Toledo has urged Chicago residents to stay peaceful, “to honor Adam’s memory and work constructively to promote reform.”
