Adam Toledo police shooting: Chicago to release body cam footage of 13-year-old's death

Body camera footage of the fatal Chicago police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo will be released Thursday, according to the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

COPA agreed to release the video at the request of Toledo’s family, who got a first look at the footage on Tuesday. A statement from the law firm representing the family said the “experience was extremely difficult and heartbreaking for everyone present and especially for Adam’s family.”

City policy requires that body cam footage be released within 60 days of an incident. COPA also plans on releasing third-party video of the incident, ShotSpotter recordings, Office of Emergency Management and Communications transmissions, as well as use of force and arrest reports.

The Toledo family’s lawyers say they are conducting an investigation of their own.

PHOTO: Members of Chicago's Little Village Community Council march on April 6, 2021, to protest against the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot by a Chicago Police officer at about 2 a.m. on March 29.

“We are continuing to conduct our own investigation as we seek justice for Adam and his family,” the lawyers said in a statement. “We are meeting with representatives of the city of Chicago and will have no further comment on the facts in the case at this time.”

On March 29, the Chicago Police Department’s ShotSpotter detected gunshots on the city’s West Side in the early hours of the morning. A ShotSpotter is a gun detection system with sensors that can identify and alert officials of potential gunshots, according to CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

Police were dispatched just before 3 a.m. and saw two males: Adam Toledo and a 21-year-old man, Ruben Roman. When the two ran, officers pursued them. Toledo, who police say had a gun, was shot once in the chest when confronted by officers.

Roman has been arrested on felony charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and child endangerment.

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