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CHICAGO – A Chicago police officer was put on administrative duty after he shot and killed a teenager in an incident described by an official as a “gun confrontation.”
The boy was Adam Toledo, who died from a homicide gunshot to the chest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Toledo, identified by the medical examiner’s office as a 13-year-old white male, lived in the largely Hispanic Little Village neighborhood on the West Side.
According to an initial police statement this week, officers responded to a gunfire alert after 2 a.m. Monday in Little Village.
Two people were in an alley and fled from police, who were chasing them on foot, according to the police statement. The pursuit “resulted in a confrontation,” police said. A police officer shot the boy in the chest and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said police found a weapon at the scene.
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Police spokesman Tom Ahern called the incident “armed confrontationin a tweet. He also shared a photo of the weapon recovered from the scene and said the other man involved in the incident was in custody.
Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the agency that investigates police misconduct, said in a statement that the incident was captured on a body camera, but since Toledo was a minor, the footage cannot be broadcast without a court order. Documents that can be released will be released “within 60 days of the incident and in accordance with the city’s video release policy,” COPA added.
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“COPA is committed to conducting a full and thorough investigation into the officers’ use of lethal force to determine if their actions were in line with Ministry policy and training and calls for the patience of the public,” he said. the organization said in a statement.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown called the incident – “a fatal encounter between one of our own and a minor” – the “greatest fear” he faces in his role.
“Unfortunately, that fear became a reality earlier this week,” Brown said in his statement. “Any loss of life is tragic, especially when it concerns young people.”
He offered his condolences to the Toledo family and said the police department “fully supports” the COPA investigation and “categorically” called for the release of videos – including body camera footage.
“The split second decision to use lethal force is extremely difficult for any officer and is always a heavy burden for officers involved in fatal shooting incidents,” said Mr. Brown.
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