Killing of Adam Toledo

Killing of Adam Toledo
Part of 2020–2023 United States racial unrest
Bodycam video still image of Adam Toledo immediately before he was shot
Map
Location of the incident in Little Village.
DateMarch 29, 2021 (2021-03-29)
Time2:38 a.m. CDT[1]
LocationSouth Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°50′53.7″N 87°42′25.2″W / 41.848250°N 87.707000°W / 41.848250; -87.707000
TypePolice killing, shooting
ParticipantsEric Stillman (shooter)
DeathsAdam Toledo
ChargesNone[2]

On March 29, 2021, Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino American boy, was shot and killed by Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer Eric Stillman in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago at 2:38am local time.[3][4][5]

On April 10, during a proffer reading in court for criminal charges filed against the adult who gave Toledo the handgun involved in the incident, a Cook County assistant prosecutor falsely told the judge that Toledo was holding the gun at the time Toledo was shot; the assistant prosecutor was later placed on administrative leave for this statement.[6] On April 15, Stillman's body cam video recording was released, showing Toledo running away and dropping a handgun before he turned towards Stillman and raised his empty hands.[7][8][9] According to the Chicago Police Department, Stillman shot at the boy less than a second after he dropped the gun.[10] An area resident who said she witnessed the shooting from her apartment window across the street said that Toledo was complying with the officer's requests when he was shot.[11]

The release of the body cam video sparked protests in Chicago and around the country.[12][13] Toledo was one of the youngest people killed by the police in the state of Illinois in years.[14] His death has been connected by some analysts to a broader pattern of disproportionate police violence against Latinos[15][16] and other children of color.[17][18] It also occurred as the United States was grappling with several high-profile cases of police killing unarmed people of color.[19][20]

In May 2021, the First Assistant State's Attorney who had reviewed the inaccurate proffer was forced to resign.[6] In March 2022, authorities announced there would be no criminal charges brought against the officer involved in the killing of Toledo.[2] The Assistant State's Attorney who gave the inaccurate proffer later became a judicial candidate in 2023.[21]

  1. ^ Smith, Patrick. "Chicago Officials Say They Will Release The Bodycam Footage Of Adam Toledo's Killing". NPR. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "No Charges for Officers in Fatal Shootings of Adam Toledo, Anthony Alvarez". March 15, 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  3. ^ Hauck, Grace. "Evolution of a city's account of a killing: How Chicago's narrative changed in the fatal police shooting of Adam Toledo". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "'Troubling' policing pattern: Latino community reels after Adam Toledo's death". NBC News. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Kilgo, Danielle K. (April 18, 2021). "Being skeptical of sources is a journalist's job – but it doesn't always happen when those sources are the police". The Conversation. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Hendrickson, Matthew (May 5, 2021). "First assistant state's attorney forced out following investigation on proffer involving Adam Toledo shooting". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2022. One of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's top prosecutors was forced to resign this week after an internal investigation revealed she did not review an in-court statement a fellow prosecutor made about 13-year-old Adam Toledo holding a gun before he was shot and killed by Chicago police in Little Village.
  7. ^ Gorner, Jeremy; Crepeau, Megan; Pratt, Gregory; Sweeney, Annie (April 15, 2021). "In several fateful seconds, video appears to show 13-year-old Adam Toledo toss gun, turn with empty hands before police shooting (warning: graphic content)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Treisman, Rachel; Romo, Vanessa; Campbell, Barbara (April 15, 2021). "Chicago Releases Video Showing Fatal Police Shooting Of 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo". NPR.org. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Associated Press (April 15, 2021). "Video: Adam Toledo Wasn't Holding Gun When Shot by Officer". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 838m was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Ramos, Manny (April 16, 2021). "Little Village woman says she watched as Adam Toledo was shot". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Keilman, John. "Video 'made my blood boil': Protesters march in Logan Square to demand justice for 13-year-old Adam Toledo". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Burke, Minyvonne (April 17, 2021). "Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo protests turn violent in cities across U.S." NBC News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  14. ^ MacFarquhar, Neil (April 15, 2021). "Mayor Calls for Calm as Chicago Awaits Video of Police Fatally Shooting 13-Year-Old". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. ^ Acevedo, Nicole (April 16, 2021). "'Troubling' policing pattern: Latino community reels after Adam Toledo's death". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cops Have Brutalized Chicago's Latinx Community for Decades; Adam Toledo, 13, Is the Latest Victim". Democracy Now. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  17. ^ Gamar, Maryam (April 22, 2021). "The history of police killing children in America". Vox. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  18. ^ Henning, Kristin (April 23, 2021). "Police Have Killed at Least Five Children in the Past Month Alone". Slate. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  19. ^ della Cava, Marco. "Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright and George Floyd: Would more de-escalation training stop police from killing people?". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  20. ^ Pierce, Charles P. (April 16, 2021). "I'm So Goddamn Tired of the Guns". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  21. ^ =Murphy, James (November 10, 2023). "James Murphy for Judge". votemurphy.com.