Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and community leaders will hold a press conference at noon local time (1:00 p.m. ET) before the video is released.
In a joint statement Thursday, the mayor’s office and Adams family lawyers said they met on Wednesday and “ both parties agree that all material should be released, including a delayed compilation of the events ” that resulted in the 13 year old dead.
The teenager was shot and killed in early March 29 when officers responding to a call for “shots fired” on the city’s West Side saw “two men in a nearby alley,” police said. One of them was armed and ran away, according to the police. An officer opened fire and hit a person in the chest.
“We recognize that the release of this video is the first step in the process of healing the family, the community and our city,” said Wednesday’s joint statement. “We understand that the release of this video will be incredibly painful and provoke an emotional response from everyone who watches it, and we ask people to express themselves peacefully.”
The boy’s family saw the video Tuesday and asked that the video and other evidence not be released to the public immediately, a statement said. this week of COPA, which investigates all shootings by the police.
“COPA has remained sensitive to the family’s grief and is conducting this release in accordance with the city’s video release policy,” it said in a statement Wednesday.
“COPA’s core values of integrity and transparency are essential to building public trust, particularly in the event of shooting incidents, and we are unshakable in our commitment to upholding these values.”
In an earlier statement, the law firm representing Adam’s family said that watching the video was “extremely difficult and heartbreaking for everyone in attendance,” especially the family.
“We would also like to thank the leaders and members of the Latino community for remaining peaceful in their protests and calling for justice,” the statement said. “Adam’s memory is best honored by refraining from violence and working constructively on reforms.”
Mayor Lightfoot said on Wednesday that she had also seen the footage of the shooting, in recognition of the family’s continued grief.
“I want to be respectful of the family, but I also think, especially in these circumstances, it’s important that we are transparent, such as in a shooting involving the police,” said Lightfoot.
When asked if she would prefer the video to be released after Chauvin’s trial, the mayor said this “wasn’t really part of the calculus.”
“This is about being respectful and balancing the need for transparency and this grieving family who are struggling extremely hard.”
Prior to the release of the video, Chicago police issued a new warrant to its officers regulating certain behaviors during protests.
Under the new order, agents will not “disrupt, intimidate, harass, discriminate, or arrest,” “comment on the views,” “use force as punishment or retaliation,” “hinder or prevent members of the public from recording department members,” or “questioning or otherwise questioning participants about their views” during First Amendment demonstrations, except in very limited circumstances.
Taken together, the two orders limit interactions between police and protesters exercising First Amendment rights, but order them to distinguish between these and “disruptive, violent, criminal or dissolute behavior by members of the crowd.”
Police can still order distribution, make arrests, and use pepper spray in cases where certain conditions are met.
CNN’s Brad Parks and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.