Editor's note: The video in the player above is from a previous report in April 2021.
The family of Adam Toledo has reacted to Interim Chicago Police Supt. Eric Carter's recommendation that Officer Eric Stillman be fired for his role in the deadly March 2021 encounter in Little Village.
Stillman fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo following a foot chase in Little Village on March 29, 2021.
Carter filed charges with the Chicago Police Board on Monday recommending the firing of Stillman.
Attorneys for Elizabeth and Marco Toledo, Adam's parents, released the following statement in reaction to Carter's recommendation:
“We are relieved and grateful that Interim CPD Superintendent Eric Carter recommended the termination of Eric Stillman, who shot and killed our 13-year-old son, Adam, on March 29, 2021."
"Superintendent Carter's recommendation is consistent with COPA's investigation, findings and conclusions. We trust the Police Board will come to the same conclusion. Firing Eric Stillman will not bring our Adam back but will take us one step closer to Justice for Adam. This brave decision will send a much-needed message to the Chicago Police Department that its officers must respect the sanctity of human life and strictly follow CPD's policies and training while doing their job."
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"We pray that the City of Chicago will likewise take the necessary steps to ensure that tragedies like Adam’s death are avoided in the future so that other families will not suffer the immense pain his loss has caused us.”
The charges Carter filed on Monday allege that Stillman violated seven department rules. The charges state that, in part, "Officer Stillman's use of deadly force was not necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm from an imminent threat posed to Officer Stillman or another person..."
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Additionally, Stillman is accused of failing to use de-escalation techniques to "prevent the use of deadly force as a last resort."
Chicago's Office of Police Accountability in October of last year recommended Stillman be discharged from the department, saying he “acted inconsistently” with department foot-pursuit training policy and committed an improper use of deadly force, the Sun-Times reported. Former CPD Supt. David Brown disagreed with the recommendation, but did say Stillman should be suspended for failing to activate his body camera. The Chicago Police Board voted for a hearing to take place.
Stillman's fatal encounter with Adam Toledo began shortly after a ShotSpotter alert sounded just after 2:35 a.m. on the morning of March 29, 2021 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer in Little Village.
Police observed two males in an alley who fled upon seeing the responding officers. During that chase, one of the two responding officers, Stillman, opened fire, fatally striking Adam in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene and a weapon was recovered.
Adam's family privately viewed the bodycam footage of the shooting for the first time on April 13, two days before the eventual public release of the video.
A complete timeline of the fatal shooting of Adam Toledo based on the bodycam footage released by COPA can be found here.
The footage shows an officer chasing Adam in an alley while shouting at him to stop. Adam appears to pause near a fence bordering a parking lot at the end of the alley and turn toward the officer with his hands up.
The officer can be heard yelling, "Hey show me your f***ing hands, drop it, drop it," firing one shot as Adam turns and puts his hands up. As Adam turns and raises his hands, he's illuminated by a flashing light and the body camera footage appears to show that both of the boy's hands are empty.
