Bodycam Footage Gives Insight into Fatal Police Shooting of 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo
The details of the fatal officer shooting of a 13-year old boy are continuing to emerge, leaving many outraged at what has been called another death of minorities at the hands of police.
The incident happened during the early hours of March 29. Chicago’s ShotSpotter technology, a system that is used to alert police officers of gunfire almost immediately, alerted officers of a shooting in a predominantly Hispanic part of the city known as Little Village. The officers who responded to the call were alerted to eight rounds that were fired. Documents of the incident which were released by the Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability, an oversight agency, identify Eric Stillman, 34, as the responding officer and the one who ultimately fired the shot that killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo. The Chicago Police Department has also released footage of the incident showing Stillman's interaction with the young teen.
According to CPD, after officers were dispatched to the scene, they came upon 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 21-year-old Reuban Roman. Roman was allegedly shooting at another vehicle while Toledo was by his side. When officers arrived on the scene, the pair dropped into an alleyway where they were quickly pursued by police. Stillman was able to apprehend the 21-year-old and after he handed him off to his partner, he continued pursuit of the 13-year-old. In the police bodycam footage, Stillman can be heard shouting at Toledo “Stop” and “Show me your F***ing hands.” After Stillman closes the gap between him and Toledo, Toledo can be seen turning to face the officer and as he raises his hand, Stillman fires the single shot that kills the youth.
There continues to be uncertainty as to whether or not Toledo was holding a gun during the incident. During Roman's apprehension, the 21-year-old dropped a red glove that later tested positive for gunshot residue. Prosecutors have also revealed that the 13-year-old's right hand also tested positive for gunshot residue. A Ruger 9MM semi-automatic handgun was also recovered at the fence near where Toledo was shot.
Toledo was not immediately identified at the time of the incident as he had no identification on his body and Roman offered a fake name for Toledo. Toledo's mother learned of her son’s death two days after the incident after she was able to identify him at the morgue.
The family shared in a statement their frustration at the “hurtful and false” mischaracterization of Toledo. They describe him as a boy who “was a loved and supported 13-year-old boy.” The family's statement explains, “He lived with his mother, his 90-year-old grandfather, and two of his siblings. His father was in his life. They all loved him very much. The Toledo family is a close-knit family. They look after each other."
The family’s attorney, Adeena Weiss-Ortiz, shared with reporters during a press conference on Thursday, "At the time Adam was shot, he did not have a gun. OK?" Weiss-Ortiz adds, "In that slow-mo version whatever he had in his, in his hand, whether it was a gun or something else, there was something in his hand, he approaches the fence, he lets it go, he turns around, and he's shot.” Weiss-Ortiz goes on to say, “It could be a gun. I'm not going to deny that, that it could be a gun, but I can't tell you with 100% certainty until I have that video forensically analyzed and enhanced. But it is not relevant, because he tossed the gun. If he had a gun, he tossed it."
Timothy Grace, the attorney representing Stillman, shared with ABC News, "The officer was faced with a life-threatening and deadly force situation. All prior attempts to deescalate and gain compliance with all of the officers' lawful orders had failed."
Grace later shared in defense of Stillman. "The juvenile had a handgun in his right hand, given verbal direction, told to drop and stop and to adhere to the police officer's valid, lawful orders and the juvenile begins to turn. At that point (the officer) has no cover, no concealment, he's left with no other option."
Grace adds, "He feels horrible about the outcome. He feels horrible he had to use deadly force. No police officer wants to use deadly force in the line of duty. He was well within his justification of using deadly force, he just feels horrible."
The mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, has weighed in on the shooting saying, "I don't want to get into the real substance of this because the independent investigation is going on, but I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Adam Toledo shot at the police."
The 21-year-old is facing several charges including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm, and child endangerment. His bond was set at $150,000, but he is currently being held without bond because of a previous incident.
