Chicago releases video of 13-year-old Adam Toledo put his hands up before cop shoots him dead: Police say they recovered the boy's gun from the scene
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Adam Toledo was shot dead by Chicago officer during foot chase on March 29
- Chicago's police review board on Thursday released bodycam footage
- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had called for the video's release but urged people to keep calm and remain peaceful in an emotional press conference
- An attorney for Adam's family said: 'Those videos speak for themselves. If you are shooting an unarmed child with his hands in the air it is an assassination'
- Chicago Police Department said Toledo, 13, was armed and fled with 21-year-old Ruben Roman Jr, who was apprehended for resisting arrest
- Police recovered a gun at the scene, but it is still unknown if the teenager pointed the gun at the officer
Body camera footage of a Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy appears to show the teen had put his hands up right before the cop opened fire.
A still frame taken from the jumpy nighttime footage indicates Adam Toledo wasn't holding anything and had his hands up, or partially up, when the officer shot him in the chest.
Police say the teen had a handgun on him that morning, and the bodycam footage shows the officer shining a light on a handgun on the ground near Toledo after he shot him.
But an attorney for Adam's family said Thursday: 'Those videos speak for themselves. If you are shooting an unarmed child with his hands in the air it is an assassination. His hands were empty when he was shot in the chest at the hands of the officer.'
Before the video's release, some businesses in downtown Chicago's 'Magnificent Mile' shopping district boarded up their windows in anticipation of protests turning violent.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, an independent board that investigates Chicago police shootings, released the graphic footage of the March 29 fatal shooting on Thursday after allowing Toledo's family to view it privately on Tuesday.
Police had said they responded before dawn on the morning of the shooting after a police technology detected gun shots there.
The teen, who was Latino, and a 21-year-old fled on foot when confronted by police, and an officer shot the teen once in the chest following a foot chase during what the department described as an armed confrontation.
The footage shows that it took 19 seconds from which the officer - who has not been named by it reported to a 34-year-old who joined the force in 2015 - exited his squad car to when he shot the teen.
Video shows the pursuing officer ordering Toledo to stop and show his hands, which the teen is seen doing in the screenshot above
The officer fired a single shot, striking Toledo in the upper chest, after yelling at him to show his hands and 'drop it'
Chicago released body camera video on Thursday showing 13-year-old Adam Toledo turning around while being chased by a police officer on March 29
After getting out of the vehicle, the officer chases Toledo on foot down an alley for several seconds and yells 'Police! Stop! Stop right (expletive) now!' He yells 'drop it!' at the teen right before he opens fire.
In the video, an officer is seen jumping out of his patrol car and pursuing Toledo on foot through an alley.
'Stop right f***ing now!' the officer yells at the fleeing teen. 'Show me your f***ing hands! Drop it'
When Toledo turns around to face the officer, he appears to raise his hands. A moment later, a single shot rings out and the teen collapses to the ground, with blood gushing from his mouth.
The officer radios in 'shot fired,' lays Toledo flat on his back and begins frantically looking for the wound. 'Stay with me, stay with me,' he implores the mortally wounded Toledo.
Another officer rushes over with a medical kit and the two begin administering CPR. 'I'm not feeling a heartbeat,' the officer says.
One video appears to show Adam throwing something away in the moments before he is shot but it has not been confirmed what the item was.
Adam's family attorney said Thursday: 'Adam during his last seconds of life did not have a gun in his hand. Adam complied. He did not have a gun in his hand.
'The officer saw his hands were up and pulled the trigger.'
The attorney added: 'It is especially important to keep the peace. [The family] want justice.'
Video shows the officer who fired on Toledo radioing in, 'shot fired,' then frantically trying to find the wound. He yells out for a colleague to bring a medical kit
Despite efforts to revive Toledo, as seen in the body camera video the teen died from his injury
The board initially said it couldn't release the video because it involved the shooting of a minor, but it changed course after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago's police superintendent called for the video's release.
Footage of the Toledo shooting had been widely anticipated in the city, where the release of some previous police shooting videos sparked major protests, including the 2015 release of footage of a white officer shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times, killing him.
Lightfoot said the city has been preparing for months for a verdict in the Chauvin trial and that it had activated a 'neighborhood protection plan.'
The Toledo family, meanwhile, issued a statement urging people to 'remain peaceful.'
Shadows on a fence show the officer who shot Toledo is seen being comforted by a colleague
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