Video shows Adam Toledo raising his hands before the officer fires a shot; police said a weapon was recovered from the scene.
The Chicago Police Accountability Office released body camera video on Thursday showing a policeman shooting and killing a 13-year-old boy in an alley more than two weeks ago.
The nine-minute video began by showing an unidentified policeman getting out of his patrol car and running after Adam Toledo, who was Latino, down an alley in the early hours of March 29 in Little Village, a neighborhood on the city’s West Side. .
The video then showed the officer shouting “stop” in Toledo before catching up with him and ordering him to show him his hands. Toledo appeared to raise his hands just before the officer fired a shot, then immediately ran towards the boy as he fell to the ground.
“Shots, gunshots. Get an ambulance here now, ”we heard in the video.
The Chicago Police Department said immediately after the incident that Toledo had a gun in his hand. It is not clear in the video whether he did so at the time of the shooting, although the Associated Press reported that authorities claimed a weapon was recovered from the scene by investigators.
Officers were pursuing Toledo and a man after receiving notification of gunfire in the area, the department said.
“There were a number of forces that gathered at 2:30 a.m. on March 29 in an alleyway, and, quite simply, we let Adam down,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. press conference before the video is released.
The city’s Civilian Police Accountability Office also released third-party videos and other material related to the incident.
The incident, as well as that of Sunday fatal police shooting at Daunte Wright in a suburb of Minneapolis and the murder trial of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd in May 2020 has raised tensions in Chicago.
“Chicago, as well as far too many parts of our country, has a long legacy of police violence and misconduct that has left far too many residents, especially those who are black and brown, in a constant state of fear and fear. pain”. Said Lightfoot.
A makeshift memorial was made by members of the community on Tuesday April 6, 2021 in memory of 13-year-old Adam Toledo [Shafkat Anowar/AP Photo]
City officials urged people to stay calm as they prepared for civil unrest after the video footage is released. They said more city police and equipment would be in place to protect businesses in the event of a disturbance.
Like some other American cities, Chicago experienced riots and looting after Floyd’s death, which was also filmed.
The Toledo family said in a statement to local media that they appreciate the support they have received from the community and are grateful for the protests in Chicago over the past few days. remained peaceful.
“We pray that, for the sake of our city, people will remain peaceful to honor the memory of Adam and work constructively to promote reform,” the family said.
