CHICAGO — A police watchdog agency has finished investigating the killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo 13 months after a Chicago police officer shot the boy.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability announced Thursday it has ended its investigation into the shooting and turned over its report to Supt. David Brown. Brown must respond within 60 days, though he can request a 30-day extension.
The agency did not say if it has recommended the officer who killed Toledo be punished. Last month, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced her agency is not pressing charges against that officer, Eric Stillman.
COPA’s findings will be posted on its website after Brown has had a chance to review its report and recommendations, according to the agency.
COPA has “been in contact with” Toledo’s family and asked the public to be patient, according to its announcement tweet.
The announcement came about 13 months after Stillman killed Toledo on March 29, 2021, in a Little Village alley. The shooting generated national controversy, leading to protests in Chicago.
Toledo had snuck away from his home and family the night he was killed. It was days before the Police Department informed his family about his death, with officials saying it was because they had problems identifying the boy.
Graphic video footage of Stillman shooting Toledo was publicly released in April 2021, leading to marches in the city. Little Village activists called for Stillman to be charged with murder.
Body-camera footage from the shooting shows Stillman — a 10th District tactical unit officer — chasing Toledo through an alley, yelling at the teen to stop. In the video, Stillman catches up to Toledo, who appears to have stopped running near a gap in a fence between the alley and a church parking lot.
Video from a different angle appears to show Toledo tossing a gun behind the fence moments before he was shot.
Stillman flashed a strobe flashlight at Toledo and said, “Hands! Show me your fucking hands!”
Immediately after commanding Toledo to show his hands, Stillman shot the boy at close distance. Toledo’s hands were raised when he was shot, the footage shows.
There was less than one second between the time Toledo turned to face Stillman, the gun still in his hand, and Stillman shooting as the 13-year-old dropped the gun, Foxx said when announcing the officer wouldn’t be charged.
“To be precise, it was estimated to be 838 milliseconds,” Foxx said.
Last month, attorneys for Toledo’s family said they are “profoundly disappointed” Stillman won’t be prosecuted, and they’ll seek monetary damages in civil court against the officer and the city. They’ll also contact the Department of Justice “to address this horrific travesty,” lawyers Adeena Weiss Ortiz and Joel Hirschhorn said in a statement.
“Adam obeyed the police officer’s commands, stopped running, had his hands up in the surrender position, and was nevertheless shot and killed by Officer Stillman,” the attorneys said. “Despite the painful loss of Adam, the Toledo family continues to call for peace on the streets of Chicago as they pursue justice through the court system.”
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