Chicago to release camera-video of shooting of Adam Toledo; Mayor urges to let family mourn in peace
Chicago to release camera video of a boy, 13, being chased and shot by a police officer in an alley – an incident which has gripped the city and led to fierce pleas for police accountability.
City’s mayor Lori Lightfoot at a press conference said, “No should have a video broadcasted widely of their child’s last moments, much less be placed in the terrible situation of losing their child in the first place.” Mother of 13-year old daughter’s voice cracked as she added, “They are incredibly difficult to watch, particularly at the end.”
She asked the city residents to be calm and maintain peace and also to “reserve judgement” and “wait until we hear all the fact” about what happened.
After viewing the video, the Toledo family urges not to release it to the public immediately which investigates a case of potential police misconduct, says a statement by Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Adeena Weiss-Ortiz and Joel Hirschhorn, family’s attorney, said, “the experience was extremely difficult and heart breaking for everyone present, especially for Adam’s family.”
The video comes in amid rising tension throughout the country over police-involved fatal accident, like the shooting of Daunte Wright, 20, in Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota. The location was few miles away from where Derek Chauvin is on trial for the death of George Floyd.
Protest began after the death of Adam and Wright. On Tuesday, dozens marched through city’s downtown and later on Wednesday dozens more gathered for rally and march.
According to the police, the officers departed for the Little Village neighborhood on March 29, after ShotSpotter technology detected eight gunshots. On police’s arrival Adam and Ruben Roman, 21, fled the scene.
After an “armed confrontation”, police shot Adam in the chest once. The boy was holding a gun when the officer shot the him, says prosecutor. Adam died at the scene.
Roman was seen on the surveillance camera firing the rounds. Roman was arrested and Adam was chased, says the prosecutor.
Roman was charged with felony of unlawful use and reckless discharge of firearm, as well as violating probation and child endangerment. He was held on $150,000 bonds on Saturday.
About a dozen protestor gathered at the City’s Federal Plaza demanding for police accountability and justice for Adam. The crowd later near doubled marching through the streets with a drummer leading. The words “CDP stop killing our children” with hashtag #justiceforadamtoledo were written on banner next to poster of Adam and also flew the Black Lives Matter flag.
