- The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) of Chicago released body camera footage on Thursday of a Chicago Police officer shooting and killing 13-year-old Adam Toledo.
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The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) of Chicago released body camera footage on Thursday of a Chicago Police officer shooting and killing 13-year-old Adam Toledo.
The graphic video shows Toledo stopped and raised his hands before an officer shot Toledo in the chest.
In the video, an officer immediately gets out of his car and begins chasing Toledo down an alley.
“Police stop. Stop right f—ing now,” the officer yells.
“Show me your f—ing hands! Drop it, drop it,” an officer yells before shooting Toledo.
In the video, less than one second passes between when Toledo raises his hands and when the police officer shoots him in the chest.
The officer radios for backup and approaches Toledo, the video shows.
“Where are you shot, man? Where are you shot? Stay with me, stay with me,” the officer says. He calls for an ambulance and a medical kit. The officer is later seen performing CPR, but Toledo doesn’t respond.
Another first responder on the scene later says, “Come on, little man, talk to me.”
The video challenges comments from the department that the pursuit of Toledo was an “armed confrontation.”
Police said they were responding to reports of gunshots when they chased Toledo down an alley. Chicago PD claimed that Toledo was armed and that a firearm was recovered in the pursuit, which is unverified through the footage.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for police reform and an end to the foot-pursuit policy in light of the police shooting. Ahead of the video’s release, Toledo’s family and Lightfoot released a joint statement on Thursday.
“Yesterday, the City of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel, Celia Meza, met with Adeena Weiss Ortiz and Joel Hirschhorn, legal representatives for the Toledo family,” Lightfoot and the Toledo family said in a joint statement. “Based on the Civilian Office of Police Accountability’s announcement that it will be releasing the videos, both parties agree that all material should be released, including a slowed-down compilation of the events of March 29 that resulted in the tragic death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo.”
The family and Lightfoot called on people to “express themselves peacefully,” after the video’s release. The Toledo family reviewed the footage on Tuesday and initially asked COPA not to release the footage to the public.
Lightfoot had also reviewed the footage ahead of its release to the public, acknowledging it was “incredibly difficult,” to watch in a Thursday news conference.
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave for 30 days as COPA investigates the shooting.
“We acknowledge that the release of this video is the first step in the process toward the healing of the family, the community, and our city. We understand that the release of this video will be incredibly painful and elicit an emotional response to all who view it, and we ask that people express themselves peacefully,” the statement continued.
