The person fatally shot by a Chicago police officer early Monday during what police said was an “armed confrontation” has been identified as a 13-year-old boy, officials said.
Adam Toledo, of the 2700 block of South Millard Avenue in Little Village, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to Cook County medical examiner’s office spokeswoman Brittany Hill. Toledo was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Another representative for the medical examiner’s office said that according to its records, the boy wasn’t identified until Wednesday. She would not say who identified him.
Toledo is the youngest person to be fatally shot by the Chicago police in years.
In a telephone interview Thursday afternoon, the boy’s mother, Elizabeth Toledo, said no one has told her about what happened to her son early Monday morning.
“I’m trying to hang in there. It’s hard,” she told the Tribune in a distraught tone. “I have lots of questions.”
The shooting happened about 2:35 a.m. Monday, near 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue on the West Side, according to police spokesman Tom Ahern and a police media notification.
Ahern said police had responded to the area because of an alert from ShotSpotter, the city’s gunfire detection system.
“Officers observed two subjects in a nearby alley, one subject fled on foot which resulted in an armed confrontation,” Ahern wrote. Both people were male, and one of the two, who was armed, “fled from officers,” according to a police media notification.
They were later identified as Toledo and Ruben Roman Jr., 21.
Police began running after the person who fled, and there was a “confrontation in an alley” in the 2300 block of South Spaulding Avenue.
The alley behind Farragut Career Academy High School, 2359 S. Spaulding Ave., runs behind the odd-numbered side of Spaulding and the even-numbered side of Sawyer.
The confrontation ended with an officer shooting the armed male in the chest, according to the media notification.
A firearm was found and taken into evidence, according to Ahern, who shared an image on Twitter of a handgun on the ground next to an evidence marker.
Roman, of the 1400 block of West Elmdale Avenue in the Edgewater Glen neighborhood, was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor resisting or obstructing a peace officer, said Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman.
Elizabeth Toledo, 44, said she last saw her son Sunday during a gathering to memorialize a relative who died a few years ago. Adam Toledo had attended Gary Elementary School in Little Village and was in seventh grade, she said.
“He was in school,” she said. “He used to like bike riding. He used to listen to music.”
Adam Toledo had four siblings, his mother said. Elizabeth Toledo said she didn’t know he was away from home Sunday night or early Monday. She said she filed a missing person’s report for her son and believes that’s how police contacted her.
She said she was making funeral arrangements on Thursday for her son. As for the shooting, she said she didn’t know anything about her son having a gun.
“I want (to) know what happened,” she said regarding how her son died. “… He was a little kid.”
The shooting was being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which released a statement on Thursday, saying the bodycam video may not be released because of the Juvenile Court Act.
“Due to the age of the victim, absent the issuance of a court order and pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act (705 ILCS 405/5-905(5)), COPA is prevented from publicly releasing videos involving a juvenile,” COPA’s statement read.
“Materials that can be released including 911 calls, OEMC transmissions, Tactical Response and Incident Reports will be released within 60 days of the incident and in accordance with the City’s Video Release Policy.”
In a later written statement Thursday evening, COPA spokesman Ephraim Eaddy said they were “making every effort and researching all legal avenues that will allow for the public release of all video materials which capture the tragic fatal shooting.”
While COPA is in the very early stages of this investigation, it has been determined that officers were responding to the area as a result of shots fired and encountered two people.
Both people fled resulting in a foot pursuit by Chicago Police Department officers. One male was apprehended while the other was shot and killed by the pursuing officer, who discharged his weapon once. The incident has been captured on body-worn camera, according to COPA.
COPA said it is committed to a “full and thorough investigation” into the officer’s use of deadly force to determine if their actions were in accordance with department policy and training, and asks for the public’s patience.
“The death of 13 year old Adam Toledo is tragic and we have all been saddened by this incident,” Eaddy wrote in the later statement, adding COPA has been in contact with the family and will provide them with a review of all video materials.
Matt Topic, an attorney who specializes in Illinois’ public records law, noted that the courts have repeatedly rejected the argument that the state’s Juvenile Court Act applies to records or videos of minors who are shot and killed by the police.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown also issued a statement on the shooting and the loss of life, which he called a “tragedy.” Brown “adamantly” called for the release of any and all video footage, as permitted by laws pertaining to juveniles.
“My greatest fear as the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department has been a deadly encounter between one of our own and a juvenile especially given the recent rise in violent crimes involving juveniles throughout our city,” the statement read.
“Unfortunately, this fear became a reality earlier this week. Any loss of life is tragic, especially when it involves youth. On behalf of the entire Chicago Police Department, I extend my condolences to the family of the juvenile.”
Brown added how difficult it is for officers to make the “split-second decision” to use force, saying it is “always a heavy burden to bear” for officers involved in fatal shootings.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who also weighed in, took to Twitter saying it’s “critically important” that video footage of the shooting be shown first to the boy’s family and then the public “as quickly as possible, with appropriate protections, given his age.”
“Because his family and the public will undoubtedly have many questions, we must release any relevant videos as soon as possible,” Lightfoot said. “Recognizing that these are the most complex cases that COPA investigates, transparency and speed are crucial.”
The officer or officers who fired their weapons will be placed on administrative duty for 30 days, as is routine.
