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The 13-year-old boy who wanted to become a police officer is killed by police in Chicago
GoFundMeThe death of a 13-year-old boy who dreamed of going to the police but was gunned down by a police officer in an “armed confrontation” this week appalled the criminal city of Chicago and asked the mayor for answers, The Cook County Medical Examiner upheld told The Daily Beast that Adam Toledo died Monday from a gunshot wound to the chest. His death, which occurred in Little Village after a confrontation with Chicago police, has been classified as murder. The boy’s family, community leaders and even Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot are all demanding that police release the body camera videos of the incident. The officer involved in the shooting is on duty at his desk for at least 30 days pending an investigation. “Adam was a seventh grade student at [Gary Elementary] School, enjoyed sports and was a good kid. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did, ”the Toledo family said in a statement Friday. Cops Now Say UVA Grad who was killed by the police brandished a gun. The family said Adam was killed “for the unreasonable behavior of a Chicago police officer” and that they were “seeking justice for this reprehensible crime.” They added that they were not informed of Adam’s death until two days after his death: “We are confident that the Chicago Police Department and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability will conduct a thorough investigation into that there will be transparency and that the Toledo Family will will find out what happened to Adam. Police said the incident began at around 2:35 am on Monday when officers responded to calls for “firing multiple shots in the S. Sawyer block of 200”. When they arrived, they found two men – later identified as Toledo and 21-year-old Ruben Roman Jr. – “in a nearby alley” and at least one was armed. Police said the armed person ran off the scene and asked officers to start a foot chase that resulted in an “armed confrontation”. “The officer fired his gun and hit the perpetrator in the chest,” a Chicago Police Department spokesman said in a statement. “A weapon was recovered and the perpetrator was declared dead on the spot.” The officers observed two people in a nearby alley and one fled on foot, leading to an armed confrontation. One subject was shot. 2. Subject in custody. Gun recovered on the spot. COPA investigated. #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/bn7o2deAGS – Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) March 29, 2021 Police said Roman was taken into custody and charged with a crime of resisting or obstructing a peace officer. According to court records, Roman pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal weapon in 2019 and was given parole. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday, the teen’s mother, Elizabeth Toledo, said the last time she saw her son was attending a memorial service for a relative the day before the shooting. She said she did not know what caused the incident and “just wants answers about what really happened”. “I haven’t heard from the police since yesterday when they knocked on my door,” she said on Thursday. Four said her son was “always happy,” loved animals and dreamed of going to the police. “He wanted to be a cop when he was growing up,” Toledo said. “Next thing you know, a cop took his own life.” Monday’s tragic shootout comes as Chicago battles a siege of murders and shootouts. According to the Chicago Tribune, 134 people were killed this year alone, more than in the same period in 2020. Last year was already the worst year for gun-related murders, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Amid outrage over Toledo’s death, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown released a statement Thursday calling it a “tragedy” and insisting that he would relentlessly post body cam footage of a fatal encounter between one of us and a youth, especially given the recent surge in violent crime against youth in our city, “Brown said. “Unfortunately that fear became a reality earlier this week. Any loss of life is tragic, especially when it comes to teenagers. On behalf of the entire Chicago Police Department, I would like to express my condolences to the youth’s family. “The shooting is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. However, on Thursday, COPA released a statement stating that due to the Juvenile Court Act, the Bodycam footage cannot be released without a court order. This prohibits them from sharing videos of underage victims. They said that they “are making every effort and are all researching legal opportunities that will allow the publication of all video materials,” they find that they are in contact with the Toledo family and can review all of the footage. Chicago Mayoress Lori Lightfoot took to Twitter Thursday to request the release of the video – she can only imagine the incredible pain this boy’s parents are experiencing at this moment. Since his family and the public will no doubt have a lot of questions, we need to post all relevant videos ASAP, Lightfoot said. noting that it is one of the “most complex cases COPA is investigating” and that “transparency and speed are of the essence”. “We have to ask ourselves how our social safety net failed these boys, which led to the tragic events in the EU early Monday morning,” she said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! 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