CHICAGO (CBS) — There were growing cries Thursday night to release the video of a 13-year-old boy being shot and killed by Chicago Police this week.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said Thursday that it will take some time before we or anyone in the public can see the video. But as CBS 2’s Jermont Terry reported, the family of the teen – Adam Toledo – will get the chance to watch the video whether it is released or not.
The police body cam video will be crucial in clearing the air.
Early Monday morning, Chicago Police arrived for a ShotSpotter alert of multiple shots fired in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue in the Little Village area. Grainy surveillance video shows officers pulling up and getting out, but what played out next in the alley is only captured on police body camera.
Police said Toledo and a 21-year-old man were in the alley. According to COPA, both ran.
They captured the man, but the teen was shot. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said it was a single bullet to the chest.
(Credit: Legal Help Firm)
In the early part of the investigation, a Chicago Police spokesman tweeted a picture of a gun that police said was found at the scene that night.
Officers observed two subjects in a nearby alley, one subject fled on foot which resulted in an armed confrontation. One subject shot and killed. 2nd subject in custody. Gun recovered on scene. COPA investigating. #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/bn7o2deAGS
— Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) March 29, 2021
But police never mentioned the person they shot was 13 years old. Instead, that information was released three days later by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Then, and only then, did tweets from police Supt. David Brown speak about the young victim. In a statement, Brown said:
We fully support the investigation being conducted by @ChicagoCOPA, and adamantly call for the release of any and all video, including body-worn camera footage, related to the incident, as permitted by laws pertaining to juveniles. pic.twitter.com/vJ3JuroITx
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) April 1, 2021
Mayor Lori Lightfoot followed, saying: “Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible. Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial.”
The facts and the circumstances around this case are under investigation, but we must ask ourselves how our social safety net failed this boy leading up to the tragic events in the early hours of Monday morning.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) April 1, 2021
Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible. Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) April 1, 2021
Neither COPA nor the CPD have stated if Toledo had the gun, pointed it at officers, or fired a shot. Yet police insist the officer feared for his safety.
COPA said it is working all legal avenues to get the video released, but laws with regard to juveniles currently prohibit it.