On Thursday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage, along with video and other materials, from the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a Chicago police officer on March 29.
The videos, pulled from body cameras of responding officers and several surveillance sites around the scene, show a foot chase that preceded Toledo’s shooting, with an officer firing a single shot that struck the teen in the chest.
Here are the final updates to this live blog for the evening:
Protests Begin After Materials in Adam Toledo Shooting Released
Family Reacts After Release of Footage in Adam Toledo Shooting
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Body Cam Footage Shows Fatal Shooting of Adam Toledo
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9:08 p.m.: Little Village Residents React to Release of Video Showing Adam Toledo Shooting
A community is calling for action after the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released video and other materials in the shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a Chicago police officer.
In the city’s Little Village neighborhood, flowers and candles were placed near 23rd and South Sawyer, with the memorial taking shape near the spot where Toledo was killed 17 days ago.
“He was a great kid. A good friend, too,” one friend said. “I just want everyone to know he was a good kid.”
Toledo’s death sparked calls for a release of body camera footage and other materials, and COPA responded to those calls by releasing the information on Thursday.
As reaction continues Thursday night, another of Toledo’s friends said that the video was hard to watch.
“When I saw, I turned it off immediately, because I didn’t want to see my friend like that,” the friend said.
Amara Castillo, a mom in the Little Village neighborhood, says that it was painful to watch the video with her mom and three children.
“’Not all cops are bad.’ That’s what I told my little boy,” she said. “Because now he’s afraid of cops.”
7:37 p.m.: Protest Briefly Closes Northbound Michigan Avenue
A group of demonstrators held a march down Michigan Avenue on Thursday evening, briefly shutting down the northbound side of the roadway between Wacker Drive and Ohio Street.
Video from the north side of the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River showed police cars lined up across Michigan Avenue, keeping the protesters from crossing over onto the Magnificent Mile.
Protesters eventually moved to the sidewalks, and traffic resumed a short time later.
7:20 p.m.: City Officials ‘Strategically Place Assets' After Toledo Video Release
6:30 p.m.: What We Know So Far as Chicago Police Shooting Video Released
During the early morning hours of March 29, 13-year-old Adam Toledo was shot and killed by Chicago police.
In the weeks that followed, the teen's shooting would spark cries for justice, transparency and peace as a trail of information and misinformation led to the release of police body camera video and other footage that offered a glimpse into what exactly transpired.
Here's a look back at how the situation unfolded.
5:31 p.m.: Gov. Pritzker Issues Statement Following Release of Footage in Adam Toledo Shooting
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker released a statement following COPA's release of materials in the Adam Toledo case:
“As a father, I know to my core that Adam Toledo’s family is living a parent’s worst nightmare. My heart goes out to all who love him. Parents deserve neighborhoods that will nurture their kids. Children deserve to be safe. Communities deserve to live with hope for the future. Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old child, was shot to death. This is a moment that calls for justice for our children and accountability in all our public institutions. The State of Illinois is committed to this work, whether it is transforming our justice system or investing in communities to create durable and long-term progress.”
5:15 p.m. Third Party Footage Shows the Moments Before Adam Toledo Shooting
A video released by COPA shows Adam Toledo's shooting from a different angle, and appears to show the 13-year-old tossing what is believed to be a gun behind a fence before he was shot.
(WARNING: The video contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers. PLEASE NOTE: NBC 5 is not showing the moment Adam Toledo was shot. The audio of the scene will continue to play as the video pauses.):
4:30 p.m.: Attorney, Family Members Speak Out After Release of Materials
An attorney representing the family of Adam Toledo spoke out forcefully after the video's release Thursday, saying that the footage showed that the 13-year-old did not have a gun in his hands at the time he was shot by a Chicago police officer.
"Those videos speak for themselves," attorney Adeena Weiss Ortiz said at a press conference. "Adam, during his last seconds of his life, did not have a gun in his hand. The officer screamed at him 'show me your hands!' Adam complied and turned around. His hands were empty when he was shot in the chest at the hands of the officer."
The body camera video that shows the shooting begins with about 1 minute and 45 seconds of the officer driving to the scene in the Little Village neighborhood before exiting his vehicle and running down an alley.
"Police, stop. Stop right f***ing now," the officer can be heard yelling as 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, just under 20 seconds after the officer exited his vehicle. 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.
A surveillance video from across the parking lot, though recorded from a distance, appears to show Adam make a tossing motion with his right hand behind the fence before turning to face the approaching officer, who then immediately fired the fatal shot.
About two-and-a-half minutes after the shooting, the body camera footage shows another officer shine a flashlight on a gun on the ground behind the fence near where Adam was shot. But it was not immediately clear, given the speed and nature of the videos, if Adam was holding the weapon leading up to the shooting.
The family first saw the footage of the shooting on Tuesday night at COPA headquarters, something that attorneys say brought them a measure of comfort during a difficult time.
"The family was brought some solace and comfort (in) the video," Ortiz said. "The family was brought some solace and comfort to see the video of their son. They want justice for him."
3:30 p.m.: Timeline: The Fatal Shooting of Adam Toledo by a Chicago Police Officer
NBC 5 has compiled a timeline of events, based on audio recordings, video footage and other materials, in connection with the Toledo shooting. You can find that timeline here.
2:30 p.m.: WARNING: Video of Adam Toledo's Fatal Shooting By Chicago Police Released
The city of Chicago on Thursday released video of the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the boy's family together called for people to "express themselves peacefully" following the "incredibly painful" release.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability - Chicago's police oversight agency investigating the shooting - released the videos two days after Adam's family was shown the footage and 17 days after the shooting itself, which took place in the early morning hours of March 29.
Body-camera footage of the shooting was made public, along with multiple third-party surveillance videos and other materials related to the investigation.
WARNING: The video below contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers. PLEASE NOTE: NBC 5 is not showing the moment Adam Toledo is shot. The audio of the scene will continue to play as the video pauses.
1:45 p.m.: Prosecutor ‘Failed to Fully Inform Himself' in Adam Toledo Shooting, Office Says
An attorney who appeared in court over the weekend in a case related to the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo "failed to fully inform himself" before speaking, the Cook County State's Attorney's office said.
"An attorney who works in this office failed to fully inform himself before speaking in court," a spokesperson for the office said in a statement in response to questions over whether or not the teen was in fact holding a gun at the time of the shooting. "Errors like that cannot happen and this has been addressed with the individual involved. The video speaks for itself."
1:30 p.m.: Lightfoot Says ‘No Evidence Whatsoever' Adam Toledo Fired Gun at Police
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she has seen "no evidence whatsoever" that 13-year-old Adam Toledo fired a gun at police before an officer fatally shot him, but she declined to say if the teen was holding a weapon at the time of the shooting, referring instead to body camera video being released Thursday afternoon.
"Look, 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," Lightfoot said during a press conference urging peaceful response ahead of the footage's release.
Lightfoot again acknowledged that she has seen the videos, which she called "incredibly difficult to watch," but declined to offer specifics surrounding the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
The mayor noted that officers at the scene rendered aid in the moments following the shooting.
"When you see, and I urge you to watch it, watch all the footage, you're going to see that officer sprang into action to try to revive," Lightfoot said.
1:10 p.m.: Naperville Police 'Thoroughly Prepared' in the Event of Demonstrations Following Toledo Footage Release
While police in suburban Naperville say they have "no intel" that there will be any impact of the release of the footage in the Adam Toledo case, the Derek Chauvin trial or the civil unrest in Minnesota, they still say they are prepared to address any issues that might arise.
"We want to assure the public, however, that we are staying on top of these situations and are thoroughly prepared to address any large demonstrations, civil unrest or criminal activity that may occur in our town," the department said in a social media post.
10 a.m.: Lightfoot, Adam Toledo's Family Ask People to ‘Express Themselves Peacefully' Over Video Release
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the family of Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old boy fatally shot by Chicago police last month, called for people to "express themselves peacefully" on Thursday as the city awaits the release of video of the deadly shooting.
"Yesterday, the City of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel, Celia Meza, met with Adeena Weiss Ortiz and Joel Hirschhorn, legal representatives for the Toledo family," Lightfoot and Adam's family said in a joint statement issued Thursday morning. "Based on the Civilian Office of Police Accountability’s announcement that it will be releasing the videos, both parties agree that all material should be released, including a slowed-down compilation of the events of March 29 that resulted in the tragic death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo."
"We acknowledge that the release of this video is the first step in the process toward the healing of the family, the community and our city. We understand that the release of this video will be incredibly painful and elicit an emotional response to all who view it, and we ask that people express themselves peacefully," the statement continued.
