The Daily Beast
13-year-old boy who “wanted to become a police officer” is killed by Chicago police
GoFundMeThe death of a 13-year-old boy who dreamed of joining the police but was shot dead by a policeman in an “armed confrontation” this week, horrified the city of Chicago, tired of the crime, demanding answers from the mayor The coroner from Cook County confirmed to The Daily Beast that Adam Toledo died of a gunshot wound to the chest on Monday. His death, which occurred after a confrontation with the Chicago police in Little Village, was classified as a homicide. The boy’s family, community leaders and even Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot are demanding that the police release video footage of the incident. The officer involved in the shooting was put on office duty for at least 30 days pending an investigation. “Adam was a seventh grade student in [Gary Elementary] School, he liked sports and was a good boy. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did, ”the Toledo family said in a statement on Friday. The police now say that UVA Grad killed by the police was ‘Brandishing a gun’ The family said Adam was killed “due to the irrational conduct of a Chicago Police officer” and they “would seek justice for this damning crime”. They added that they were not notified of Adam’s death until two days after he was killed. “We are confident that the Chicago Police Department and the Civil Police Accountability Office will conduct a full investigation, that there will be transparency, and that the Toledo Family will uncover the truth about what happened to Adam. “The police said the incident started at about 2:35 am on Monday morning, when the police responded to a call for” multiple shots fired at Block 200 of S. Sawyer. ” When they arrived, they found two men – later identified as Toledo and Ruben Roman Jr., 21 – “in a nearby alley” and at least one was armed. The police said the armed person had fled the scene, prompting police to start a foot chase that ended in an “armed confrontation”. “The officer fired his weapon, hitting the attacker in the chest,” a Chicago Police Department spokesman said in a statement. “A weapon was recovered and the attacker was pronounced dead at the scene.” The officers observed two guys in a nearby alley, one of whom fled on foot, which resulted in an armed confrontation. A target shot and killed. 2nd subject in custody. The gun was recovered on the spot. COPA investigating. #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/bn7o2deAGS— Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) March 29, 2021 Police said Roman was taken into custody and accused of misdemeanor for resisting or obstructing a peace officer. According to court records, Roman pleaded guilty in 2019 to possession of an illegal weapon and was sentenced to parole. In an interview on Thursday with the Chicago Sun-Times, the teenager’s mother, Elizabeth Toledo, said she last saw her son the day before the shooting when they attended a memorial service for a relative. She said she did not know what motivated the incident and “just wants answers about what really happened”. “I haven’t heard from the police since yesterday, when there was a knock at my door,” she said on Thursday. -four said that their son “has always been happy”, loved animals and dreamed of joining the police. “He wanted to be a cop when he grew up,” said Toledo. “And the next thing you know, a policeman took his life.” Monday’s tragic shooting takes place as Chicago struggles with a siege of homicides and shootings. According to the Chicago Tribune, 134 people were killed this year alone, which is more than in the same period in 2020. Last year had already been the worst year for firearm homicides ever recorded, according to the office. from the Cook County Medical Examiner. Amid outrage over Toledo’s death, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown released a statement on Thursday, calling it a “tragedy” and insisting that he strongly wanted to release images of the body’s camera. “My biggest fear as the Chicago Police Department Superintendent is a deadly encounter between one of ours and a young man, especially due to the recent increase in violent crimes involving teenagers across our city,” said Brown. “Unfortunately, that fear is made it reality earlier this week. Any loss of life is tragic, especially when it involves young people. On behalf of the entire Chicago Police Department, I express my condolences to the family of the minor. ” Although COPA initially said that images from the body camera could not be released without a court order because of the juvenile court law, which prohibits them from sharing videos of minor victims, the agency said on Friday that the images will be published. “COPA has determined that certain provisions of state law designed to protect the confidentiality of youth records do not prohibit the agency’s release of material related to its investigation, ”the agency said in a statement. He added that the act “does not prevent the publication of footage from video cameras used on the body and third parties that the agency has obtained so far”. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot accessed Twitter on Thursday to request the release of filming, adding that she “I can only imagine the incredible pain this boy’s parents are feeling right now.” “As your family and the public will undoubtedly have a lot of questions, we should release all relevant videos as soon as possible,” said Lightfoot, noting that it is among “The most complex cases that COPA investigates” and “transparency and speed are crucial” . “We must ask ourselves how our social safety net failed this kid who led to the tragic events in the early hours of Monday,” she said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Subscribe now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper into the stories that matter to you. To know more.