That gun was in the boy’s hand when a police officer shot him in the chest, according to assistant state attorney James Murphy.
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Ruben Roman, 21, is now facing charges of reckless discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a criminal, as well as endangering children and violating probation, Chicago police said.
Prosecutors said a surveillance video was captured nearby Roman firing shots at a passing vehicle while Adam stood by his side at the corner of 24th Street and Sawyer Avenues early in the morning of March 29.
They also said the police body’s camera video, which will be shown to the public to the Toledo family, captured moments when an officer repeatedly told Adam to “drop it”.
The video reportedly shows Adam stopping with his left side facing the officer.
Prosecutors described the teen with a gun in his right hand, saying that when he turned to the officer, the officer shot Toledo in the chest.
Prosecutors suggested that Ruger’s 9mm pistol that fell from Adam’s hand had previously been used by Roman. It matched the seven shells later recovered from where Roman fired the first shots, Murphy said. Adam’s hand also later tested positive for powder residue, prosecutors said.
After the shooting, Roman was initially charged with resisting arrest. An arrest warrant was issued last week after Roman skipped a court date, and he was found in Maywood on Friday, hiding in a closet, Murphy said.
Murphy also said that when detectives questioned Roman about Adam’s identity, Roman gave them a false name. He denied knowing Adam or firing shots, claiming that he was “waiting for a train in the alley,” Murphy said.
Assistant public defender Courtney Smallwood said Roman had left high school in the 11th grade, but was recently enrolled in a GED program and was awaiting several job openings after being unemployed for the past two months.
While Murphy claimed that Roman’s alleged actions endangered Adam and led to his death, Smallwood refused to accept that Roman endangered Adam, saying there was no evidence that Roman’s weapon was, that he was wearing the red gloves. that tested positive. for powder residue or whether he even brought Adam outside in the first place.
“The victim was killed at the hands of the Chicago police, not my client,” Smallwood said.
This morning Mayor Lori Lightfoot discussed releasing the police video of the deadly incident in an unrelated vaccination event.
“I’ve been very clear on this from day one that transparency is always important, especially in something as important as a police force involved in the shooting, but I’ll be respectful of what Ms. Toledo wants to do, um, she’ll take the opportunity. get to do that. Watch the video along with her counsel early next week and we’ll go from there. Hopefully we’ll follow their lead in this, “said Lightfoot.
Lawyers for the Toledo family attended Roman’s hearing on Saturday.
“Until we have seen all the videos and examined the evidence ourselves, we cannot comment,” attorney Adeena Weiss Ortiz said in a statement.
Toledo family and attorneys have an appointment this week with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to view camera video of the body and other material related to the shooting, the statement said.
The Toledo funeral was held on Friday.
Chicago police leaders canceled days off next week for officers preparing for possible demonstrations. The Toledo family will be shown a police video of the shooting before it goes public, officials have said.
Protesters took to the streets Friday night as Chicago police began to prepare for the release of police bodycam footage.
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The ABC7 I-Team has been informed that the video is expected to be made public next week, after the Toledo family had the opportunity to view it and approves the release.
A security planning memo obtained by the I-Team said a decision could be made on Wednesday or Thursday next week and that the city is monitoring intelligence and social media for possible unrest regarding the video’s release. . Officers are told their days off will be canceled and patrols will be stepped up pending possible unrest.
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In an earlier statement, family attorneys said, “The City of Chicago, the Chicago Police Department and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability have been very cooperative. We want to correct speculative media reports that suggest otherwise.”
The statement went on to say that the Toledo funeral was held on Friday and that the family thanked them for “the outpouring of support and respect for their privacy during this time of mourning.”
Protesters took over the Gold Coast intersection of Wabash and Chestnut in the midst of a busy Friday night, drawing attention to Toledo’s shooting death.
The group gathered on the West Side, holding signs and chanting for drivers passing by. They said the Chicago teen’s death was unjustified, and they want the facts.
The protesters then formed a car caravan from the West Side to the Gold Coast. Police are preparing for bigger and possibly more troubled protests
Councilor Ray Lopez recently met with the CPD leadership in hopes of preventing a repeat of the violence that followed George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.
Sun-Times Media contributed to this report.
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