Mother of Adam Toledo renews call for officer who shot and killed him to be fired
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The mother of 13-year-old Adam Toledo is renewing her calls for the Chicago Police officer who shot and killed him be fired.
"I want justice for my son, and for all the other families that have been through the same thing I've been through," said Elizabeth Toledo. "It's not easy to lose a son; a daughter."
Early on the morning of March 29, 2021 – two years ago Wednesday – Toledo was shot by police during a foot chase in Little Village.
Officer Eric Stillman shot and killed Toledo after a foot chase in an alley near 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue, less than a second — to be precise, 838 milliseconds — after Toledo dropped a gun he had been carrying.
Video footage released weeks after the shooting shows Toledo and 21-year-old Ruben Roman standing on a street corner when several shots were fired early on the morning of March 29. Both then ran past a church and into a nearby alley. Body camera footage shows an officer chasing Toledo down the alley, telling the boy to show the officer his hands.
Toledo can then be seen stopping near a gap in the fence in the alley, with both hands at his side, his left shoulder facing the officer. When the video is slowed down, a frame of the footage does appear to show a gun in Toledo's hand just before he raises his arms and the officer opens fire. Surveillance video of the same moment from a different angle appears to show Toledo with his right arm behind the fence, possibly making a throwing motion, and then turning back toward the officer.
However, at the moment when the officer opens fire, the body camera video shows Toledo has his hands up, and they appear to be empty.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability last fall recommended Stillman be fired. But then-police Supt. David Brown did not agree – recommending that Stillman be suspended for no more than five days.
The full Police Board was sent the case on Sept. 29, but has not yet held a disciplinary hearing.
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx declined to charge Officer Eric Stillman in Toledo's death.