Note: Due to the nature of the footage, NBC 5 is reviewing all released videos and will publish them below shortly.
The city of Chicago released video Thursday of the deadly shooting by police of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the boy’s family called together to “express peacefully” people following the “incredibly painful” release.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability – Chicago’s police surveillance agency investigating the shooting – released the videos two days after Adam’s family saw 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 material related to the investigation.
WARNING: The video below contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers. NOTE: NBC 5 does not show when Adam Toledo is shot. The audio of the scene will play while the video is paused.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers. NOTE: NBC 5 does not show when Adam Toledo is shot. The audio of the scene will play while the video is paused.
A lawyer from Adams family would discuss the release of the video at a 3:30 pm press conference, which can be viewed live in the video player below.
The body camera video showing the shooting starts with approximately 1 minute 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 now, ”you hear the officer shout as Adam appears to stop at a gate at the end of the alley and turns his hands up towards the officer.
You can hear the officer shout, “Hey, show me your damn hands, drop it” as the officer fires, just under 20 seconds after exiting his vehicle. Adam falls to the ground and the officer immediately calls for medical attention, says “shots fired by the police” and calls for an ambulance.
The officer walks up to Adam and asks if he is okay and where he was shot.
“Stay with me. Stay with me”, can be heard in the video.
Another officer arrives on the scene while the officer who fired the deadly shot begins chest compressions. Over the next few minutes, several officers are seen or heard undergoing continuous chest compressions while waiting for an ambulance.
About two and a half minutes after the shooting, camera images of the body show another officer shining a flashlight at a gun on the ground behind the fence near where Adam was shot. But given the speed and nature of the videos, it wasn’t immediately clear whether Adam was holding the weapon leading up to the shooting.
“I’ve seen those videos and let me just say they are incredibly difficult to watch, especially at the end,” said Lightfoot at a press conference prior to release.
“These videos and these moments are never easy to testify, no matter the circumstances,” said Lightfoot. And what I’ve learned is that you have to brace yourself in advance. Let yourself feel the pain, suffering, and shock of these traumatic events to avoid going numb as you watch. ‘
Lightfoot said she saw “no evidence” that Adam fired shots at police, as she renewed calls for federal action on gun laws and a review of the Chicago Police Department’s pursuit policy.
Lightfoot and Adams’s family said in a joint statement Thursday morning prior to the release that the city’s business adviser and the family’s lawyers met the day before and agreed that “ all material should be released, including a delayed compilation of the events. ‘. until the death of the boy.
“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 Lightfoot and the Toledo family legal team. “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.”
“COPA’s investigation is ongoing as we seek to establish the full facts in this case. To this end, we call for full cooperation with COPA. We remain committed to working together on reforms,” the statement continued. “We ask you to continue to respect the privacy of the Toledo family during this incredibly painful and difficult time.”
Under the law to publicly release body camera footage no more than 60 days after a shooting, COPA announced on Wednesday that it would release the materials Thursday in the interest of transparency.
The shooting took place on March 29, according to police, who said officers responded to a warning of shots fired at 2:37 a.m. in South Sawyer’s 2300 block and saw two men in a nearby alley.
Both fled, according to police, who said the officers were chasing them and one opened fire and shot Adam in the chest. He was pronounced dead on the spot and a weapon was recovered, officials said.
In a bond hearing for the 21-year-old man who was charged multiple times after authorities said he was with Adam at the time of the shooting, a district attorney for the Cook County District Attorney described the events in the video and said Adam has a gun in his hand.
But on Thursday, a prosecution spokeswoman said the attorney had “not fully informed herself before speaking in court,” adding, “such errors cannot happen and this has been discussed with the person concerned.” The spokeswoman then pointed to the video of the shooting, which she says “speaks for itself”.
Immediately after the shooting, COPA initially said it would not disclose CCTV footage of the shooting due to state law regulating cases involving a young person, but under pressure from the public, it reversed course and said it would take the “ disturbing footage. ” release as soon as Adam’s family was able. to see it first.
COPA noted on Wednesday that it is “committed to completing a full, thorough and objective investigation of the entire incident, which includes not only the officer’s use of deadly force, but also the actions of other officers involved in the run-up to and after the fatal shooting to determine whether each officer’s actions complied with the department’s policies and training.
COPA is leading the investigation into the shooting and the agents involved are charged with administrative duties for 30 days under CPD policy.