'We failed Adam': Body camera videos appear to show 13-year-old Adam Toledo put hands up before fatal police shooting
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 16 commentsBy: Christine Fernando and Grace Hauck (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
CHICAGO - The mayor appealed for calm Thursday as the city released body-camera videos of last month's fatal shooting of Adam Toledo, 13, by a Chicago police officer - an incident that appears to show his hands in the air as he was shot.
According to one officer's body-cam video, the officer pulls up in a car, gets out, pushes past another man and runs down an alley shouting "stop" toward Adam, who is dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt and white baseball cap. Adam runs away from the officer but then slows down and pauses near a fence.
Adam can be seen tossing a gun behind the fence as he slows down, according to surveillance video shot from across a parking lot looking at the backside of the fence.
That's when the officer shouts, according to his body-cam video, "Show me your f***ing hands," and then either "stop it" or "drop it." Adam turns toward the officer and appears to put his hands up. He does not appear to have a gun in either hand. That's when the officer shoots - less than a second after Adam begins turning around to face the officer with his hands clearly raised.
© Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times, AP Mayor Lori Lightfoot discusses the videos of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer, during a news conference at City Hall, Thursday, April 15, 2021.
Adam clutches his chest and falls to the ground as the officers gets on his radio and says "Get an ambulance here now."
"I need a medical kit … hurry up," the officer shouts to other on the scene as Adam lies beneath him, his eyes open and bleeding from the mouth and chest. "Stay with me," the officer says. About a minute after firing, the officer tells other officers he cannot feel a heartbeat and begins chest compressions.
After attempting compressions, the officer appears to stand up and pace. At least half a dozen other officers are on the scene at this point. As he walks to the backside of the fence where Adam had been standing, the officer shines a light on what looks like a gun leaning against the fence. According to a response report, Adam was armed with a semi-automatic pistol that was "displayed, not used."
The city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability released 17 body-cam videos, 4 third-party videos, a transmission from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, two audio recordings of 911 calls, six ShotSpotter recordings, as well as response and arrest reports.
"They are incredibly difficult to watch, particularly at the end," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has a 13-year-old daughter, said at a press conference before the videos were released, her voice cracking as she spoke. "No one should have a video broadcast widely of their child's last moments, much less be placed in the terrible situation of losing their child in the first place.
"Simply put, we failed Adam, and we cannot afford to fail one more young person in our city," she said.
© Jessica Koscielniak, USA TODAY The scene at 24th and S. Sawyer in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood Thursday April 15, 2021, where 13-year-old Adam Toledo was fatally shot by a Chicago officer in March.
Protests have been planned in the city for Thursday evening, and Lightfoot urged residents to "proceed with deep empathy and calm, and most importantly, peace." She asked Chicagoans to "reserve judgment" and "wait until we hear all the facts."
Karina Ayala-Bermejo of Instituto del Progreso Latino, a nonprofit based in Adam's neighborhood, called on Chicagoans to "embrace our children" and communities when the video is released. "I call for peace. I call for justice, but I also call for non-violence," she said.
Ricardo Estrada of Metropolitan Family Services, who said he was raised five blocks from where Adam was killed, called on residents to give the family time to mourn. "Absolutely we need to call for justice," he said. "But in our community, we have a nine days novena where we need to grieve. We need to allow this family to grieve."
© Ashlee Rezin Garcia, AP Mayor Lori Lightfoot listens as Karina Ayala-Bermejo, of Instituto Del Progreso, discusses the videos of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer, during a news conference at City Hall, Thursday, April 15, 2021.
Lightfoot, the boy's family and city officials have called for transparency. The Toledo family, after viewing the videos Tuesday night, requested the footage not be immediately released to the public, according to a statement by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates cases of potential police misconduct.
"The experience was extremely difficult and heartbreaking for everyone present and especially for Adam's family," family attorneys Adeena Weiss-Ortiz and Joel Hirschhorn said in a separate statement Tuesday night. But Thursday morning, the lawyers issued a joint statement with the mayor's office, saying "both parties agree that all material should be released."
The videos come amid rising tensions nationwide over fatal police shootings and deaths in police custody, including the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just miles from where former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for the death of George Floyd. Lightfoot on Thursday acknowledged Wright's killing and the trial "have only heightened feelings of pain and anger."
Demonstrations in Chicago began last week as protesters from throughout the city gathered to demand police accountability in the deaths of Adam and Wright. Dozens marched through the city's downtown Tuesday evening, and dozens more gathered Wednesday evening for a rally and march.
Asked about how Chicago was preparing for the release of the videos, Lightfoot said the city has "been preparing for the Chauvin trial for months now. And as part of those preparations, we have been in regular contact with businesses all across the city, not just in the downtown area."
© Shafkat Anowar, AP Members of Chicago's Little Village Community Council march on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 to protest against the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot by a Chicago Police officer at about 2 a.m. on March 29 in an alley west of the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue near Farragut Career Academy High School.
What police say happened in Adam Toledo's killing
According to police, officers were dispatched to the Little Village neighborhood in the early hours of March 29 when the department's ShotSpotter technology detected eight gunshots. When police arrived, Adam and 21-year-old Ruben Roman fled, authorities said.
An officer shot Adam once in the chest after an "armed confrontation" in an alley, police said. Prosecutors say the boy was holding a gun when the officer shot him. Adam died at the scene.
According to Lightfoot Thursday, the officer who shot Adam attempted to revive him and called for medical assistance. Asked whether Adam shot at an officer, she said: "I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Adam Toledo shot at the police."
Officials have not publicly identified the officer, who has been placed on administrative leave for 30 days.
Earlier this month, Lightfoot suggested Adam was holding a gun, saying "an adult put a gun in a child's hand." But on Thursday, Lightfoot's phrasing changed, and she said Adam was "a child who was in contact with an adult who had a gun."
Prosecutors say Roman was later seen on surveillance video firing the rounds that brought police to the scene before he and Adam fled. As Roman was arrested, another officer chased Adam.
On Saturday, Roman was held on a $150,000 bond and faces felony charges of unlawful use and reckless discharge of a firearm, as well as child endangerment and violating probation.
Lightfoot said in early April the tragedy emphasizes the need to change Chicago police foot pursuit policy, saying such pursuits are one of the most dangerous activities police engage in because they are often separated from their partners and communication becomes difficult. She said there will be focus groups of officers and community members to evaluate best practices.
"It's clear that trust between our communities and law enforcement has not healed and instead is badly broken," Lightfoot said Thursday, recognizing Chicago's long history of "police abuse."
"While we don't have enough information to be the judge and jury of this particular situation, it is certainly understandable why so many of our residents feel an all-too-familiar surge of outrage and pain," she said.
Lightfoot also renewed calls for federal gun control legislation and said she would continue speaking with the Biden administration about closing loopholes and mandating background checks.
Asked Thursday what more the city could have done to prevent the shooting, Lightfoot said she doesn't "presume to have an answer." She said: "Our young people have been living with a lot of trauma for a long time."
Family says Adam attended Gary Elementary School, was 'loved and supported'
© Shafkat Anowar, AP Jacob Perea, 7, left and Juan Perea, 9 holds signs on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, as they attend a press conference following the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot by a Chicago Police officer at about 2 a.m. on March 29 in an alley west of the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue near Farragut Career Academy High School.
Adam was a "loved and supported 13-year-old boy" from a "close-knit family," the family said in a statement through their lawyers earlier this month. He lived with his mother, his 90-year-old grandfather and two of his siblings, and his father was in his life, the statement said.
Adam attended Gary Elementary School, where he had the support of his teachers and his classmates, the statement said. According to Chicago Public Schools, Gary is a high-rated school serving more than 900 students from third through eighth grade. Nearly 98% of students are Hispanic, and 95% are low income.
In the statement, the family said they wanted to "correct the hurtful and false mischaracterization of Adam as a lonely child of the street who had no one to turn to."
"This is simply not true," the statement said. "Adam was not alone."
Community demands transparency: 'She'll never have her child back'
About a dozen protesters gathered at the city's downtown Federal Plaza on Wednesday night to demand police accountability and justice for Adam. The crowd later grew to two dozen marching through the streets of downtown Chicago with a drummer leading.
Handfuls of police officers on bicycles flanked the crowd on either side as three police cars followed closely behind. A Black Lives Matter flag flew alongside a banner with a photo of Adam, the hashtag #justiceforadamtoledo, and the words "CPD stop killing our children."
© Jessica Koscielniak, USA TODAY Demonstrators gather in Freedom Plaza in downtown demanding justice for 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was killed last month by a Chicago police officer on April 14, 2021.
Little Village Community Council president Baltazar Enriquez started a lineup of speeches by asking Lightfoot to share "the truth of what happened" to Adam. "Today we ask for transparency," he said.
Enriquez said the shooting is just further reason to abolish the police department and funnel its resources into social services.
Alma Sanchos, 33, said she was protesting for her 12-year-old daughter, who she says was friends with Adam. The two played video games together, she said. "Sometimes now I watch her just zoning out, and I know she's thinking about him," Sanchos said. "It's just awful to be so young and have to think about these things like police brutality."
Sanchos said that, as a mother, she could not imagine the grief Adam's mother is experiencing. "There are no words," she said. "She'll never have her child back. Our children are supposed to be protected. They were supposed to protect them."
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(3) Bodycam Video Of Adam Toledo - Bing video
This is what I am hearing on local news. Someone was shooting at a passing car. The cops came to the scene. A 21 year old and a 13 year old boy ran away. While running away the 21 year old gave the gun to the 13 year old.
Evidently , according to the MSN story, while running down the alley the 13 year old boy tosses the gun along a fence. Seconds later the cop tells him to turn around and show his hands. The cop, evidently thinking the suspect was still armed shoots the 13 year old boy.
Probably going to be an uncomfortable time on the city streets tonight.
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Adam Toledo was not black btw. Hispanic.
Ummm, when you are shooting at passing cars in a neighborhood then yeah, you should fear the police. You are asking to get your ass killed and the more I have learned about this the more I think this officer did society a favor.
Sanchos said that, as a mother, she could not imagine the grief Adam's mother is experiencing. "There are no words," she said. "She'll never have her child back. Our children are supposed to be protected. They were supposed to protect them."
If Adam's mother cared about protecting her son he would have been home in bed instead of roaming the streets at 2:30 AM with a 21-year-old man,
Adam hadn't been home for the two days before he was killed, why didn't his "caring" mother report him missing?
He was a "good boy" that just got mixed up with the "wrong people". Wash, rinse, and repeat the same stupid story forever.
The parents have no responsibility. The 21 year old that handed the child an illegal firearm so he could flee police, and get a lesser sentence if he was caught, had no responsibility. Adam certainly had no responsibility. Thirteen is far too young to realize that it is wrong to hang out with an armed violent 21 year old; and way too young to realize it is illegal to be carrying such a weapon himself. Ignore the fact he tried to hide the evidence once he was caught.
Of course the Mayor's response was precious.
Ah just let the criminals go if they are African American. Get it over with already. That is the conclusion that they want. Don't pursue, don't detain, and offer a verbal and written apology if one is mistakenly stopped for any reason. A financial compensation from the city and state might be needed as well.
Chicago has the strictest gun laws on the books; and it hasn't done jack shit to slow their gun violence. Criminals still have no problems getting them. I am sure the Mexican and South American Cartels will fully back the Democrats to introduce as draconian of gun laws as possible. It will make gun running that much more profitable.
For not having the answer she is putting forth an awful lot of solutions. I am sure this is just cover for herself until she finds some more people in her administration to throw under the bus.
We are in agreement.
Honestly, that kind of upset me. No, WE didn’t fail that kid, the city didn’t fail that kid, and the officer involved didn’t fail that kid. His family failed him, his shitty friends failed him, that 21 year old prick he was with failed him, and he failed himself. None of the rest of us put him in the position he was in, running around at 2 in the morning firing a gun in a neighborhood with a convicted felon.
The IRA had a saying about killing Margaret Thatcher. They only had to be lucky once.
Kids acting like Adam Toledo have turned that on it's head. They need the cops to be perfect every time.
Shooting a gun at people in the middle of the night, running from the cops into a dark alley while carrying a gun and then trying to discard the gun as you turn around to surrender which requires the cop to judge your interactions perfectly in a life or death situation with all the stress that causes. The kid made terrible choice after terrible choice yet its the cops fault when he's not perfect.
It's just crazy to me that a significant number of people think it's okay to act for criminals to act in ways that should win a Darwin award and then get enraged at the cop when the foreseeable tragedy happens. The kids family will get millions from Chicago taxpayers because he made a series of incredibly stupid, criminal decisions.
I may shock a few people, but so be it.
I basically agree with you about this case.
A few facts that are not being emphasized in some national stories about this incident.
Adam Toledo was a member of the Latin Kings , a notorious hispanic street gang. He had a Latin Kings tattoo on his arm.
At appx 2:30 am Toledo was in the company of a 21 year old fellow gang member who shot 8 times at a passing car. Being 2:30 in the morning and not a lot going on in the neighborhood at that hour, police arrived very quickly. Toledo and the 21 year old are seen on neighborhood surveillance video running away from the scene. On one of the surveillance videos Toledo is seen carrying what appears to be a gun in his right hand as they run away. Often older gang members will give the gun to a younger one after a shooting because the young one will not be charged with a felony. Toledo and the 21 year old split up and Toledo runs down an alley with a police officer chasing him. Near the end of the alley there is a break in the wooden fencing which appear to be a gateway or a driveway onto a property. At that point Adam Toledo stops when the police officer tells him to drop it and turn around with his hands up. Toledo is standing with his back to the cop in the area where the fencing was open. In the video he appears to have something in his right hand. As he turns to his left his right hand goes out of view momentarily, it is at this time that he flings the gun , inside the fencing and out of view of the cop. As he continues to rotate his body and face the cop his hands are empty. But the cop doesnt know that. The last he saw of Toledo's right hand , a second earlier, he had in it what the cop saw as a gun. He never saw Toledo drop the gun, because he dropped it out of view of the cop. And in that split second the cop decided to pull the trigger.
The cop is not going to be charged with anything.
I would hope not as it was a tragic mistake. But I'd be surprised if he's not.
The only thing that is truly at issue is if the cop should have waited a little longer to pull the trigger. I think that , all things considered, it will be determined, fairly easily, that the shooting was justified.
I think you are right. If a suspect has a gun in hand and starts turning towards me the only reasonable assumption is that they are planning on shooting, I’m shooting first.
Now we know the kid had dropped the weapon behind the fence he was standing next to, but it was dark and obviously the officer couldn’t see that. Again, less than a second between when the kid started turning and when the shot was fired. This seems entirely justified IMO.
Send to me the officers acted correctly from start to finish. I certainly hope the city doesn’t cave and pay out some settlement. Unless something new comes to light I do t see anything wrong with the actions of the officers here.
So I I read a bit more about this incident, watched e body cam footage, and I gotta go with the officers on this one.
It’s dark, they were responding to shots fired, apparently the kid was running with a gun, stopped and started turning with the hand the gun was in disappearing behind his body, and was less than a second from when he started turning to when he started to raise his hands. I’d have shot him too.
Not to mention they called for an ambulance right away and started rendering medical assistance. And apparently they found gun powder residue on the kids hands as well.
There has been very little protesting about this shooting in Chicago. The major protest held downtown last night attracted no more than 50 participants. I think most people realize this is not a cut and dried case of a cop shooting someone for little reason.
Give it time John, BLM is now involved let the riots commence.