Note: Due to the nature of the images, NBC 5 is reviewing all posted videos and will post them soon.
The city of Chicago on Thursday released a video of the deadly police shooting against 13-year-old Adam Toledo, while Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the boy’s family called for people to express themselves “peacefully” after the release. “Incredibly painful.”
The Office of Civil Liability (the Chicago police control agency that investigates the shooting) released the videos two days after images of Adam’s family were shown and 17 days after the shooting, which went take place in the early hours of the morning of March 29th.
Images from the shooting’s body camera were made public, along with several third-party surveillance videos and other materials related to the investigation.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be annoying to some viewers. WARNING: NBC 5 is not shown at the time Adam Toledo is shot. The audio of the scene will continue to play as the video stops.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be annoying to some viewers. WARNING: NBC 5 is not shown at the time Adam Toledo is shot. The audio of the scene will continue to play as the video stops.
A lawyer for Adam’s family was scheduled to discuss the video’s release during a press conference at 3:30 p.m., which can be seen live on the following video player.
The video from the body camera showing the shooting begins with about 1 minute and 45 seconds of the officer driving to the Little Village neighborhood site before getting out of his vehicle and running down an alley.
“Police, stop. Stop right now,” the officer can be heard shouting as Adam appears to pause near a fence at the end of the alley and turn to the officer with his hands raised .
The officer can be heard shouting, “Hey, show your hands, drop it” as the officer fires, just under 20 seconds after getting out of the vehicle. Adam falls to the ground and the officer immediately calls for medical help, saying “police shots” and calling for an ambulance.
The agent approaches Adam and asks if he is okay and where he was shot.
“Stay with me. Stay with me,” the officer can be heard in the video.
Another officer arrives at the scene while the officer who fired the fatal shot begins chest compressions. Over the next few minutes, several agents are seen or heard continuing with chest compressions while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
About two and a half minutes after the shooting, camera footage of the body shows another officer flashing a flashlight on a ground gun behind the fence near where Adam was shot. But it was not immediately clear, given the speed and nature of the videos, whether Adam had the weapon he was carrying in the shooting.
“I’ve seen these videos and let me say they’re incredibly hard to watch, especially in the end,” Lightfoot said at a press conference before the release.
“These videos and moments are never easy to witness, regardless of the circumstances,” Lightfoot continued. “And what I’ve learned is that you have to prepare in advance. Let yourself feel the pain, anguish, and shock of these traumatic events to avoid falling asleep while watching.”
Lightfoot said he saw “no evidence” that Adam fired any shots at police while renewing requests for federal action on gun laws, as well as a review of Chicago Police Department policy. on foot research.
Lightfoot and Adam’s family said in a joint statement Thursday morning before the release that the city’s corporation’s attorney and the family’s attorneys met the day before and had agreed that ” all material should be published, including a slowed-down collection of events “until the boy’s death.
“We recognize that the release of this video is the first step in the process toward healing the family, the community, and our city,” Lightfoot and the Toledo family’s legal team said. “We understand that the release of this video will be incredibly painful and will provoke an emotional response for all who watch it and we ask that people express themselves peacefully.”
“The COPA investigation is ongoing as we try to determine the full facts in this case. To this end, we call for full cooperation with the COPA. We remain committed to working together to reform,” the statement continued. “We ask that you continue to respect the privacy of the Toledo family during this incredibly painful and difficult time.”
Forced by law to publicly post body camera images no more than 60 days after a police shooting, the COPA announced Wednesday that it would release the materials on Thursday for reasons of transparency.
The shooting occurred on March 29, according to police, who said officers responded to a firing alert at 2:37 a.m. on the 2300 block of South Sawyer and saw two men in a nearby alley. .
They both fled, according to police, who said officers chased them and one opened fire, shooting Adam in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene and a weapon was recovered, officials said.
At a bail hearing for the 21-year-old man facing multiple charges after authorities said he was with Adam at the time of the shooting, a Cook County State Attorney’s Office described the facts of the video, saying Adam had a gun in his hand.
But on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the State Attorney’s Office said the lawyer “was not fully informed before speaking in court,” adding, “There can be no mistakes like this and this has been addressed. with the person involved “. The spokeswoman then pointed to the video of the shooting, which she said “speaks for itself.”
Immediately after the shooting, COPA initially said it would not publicly release the video with the body camera of the shooting because of state law regulating cases related to a minor, but reversed course under public pressure and said it would release the “worrying images” once Adam’s family could to see it first.
The COPA noted on Wednesday that it “undertakes to complete a thorough, thorough and objective investigation of the entire incident, which includes not only the use of deadly force by the agent, but also the actions of other agents. involved that led to the deadly shooting and after it to determine whether the actions of each officer complied with the department’s guidelines and training ”.
COPA is leading the investigation into the shooting and the agents involved have been subjected to administrative duties for 30 days in accordance with CPD policy.