Releasing the body cam footage of the shooting involving 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a cop, the Chicago police claimed that the teen was in possession of a gun barely a second before he was fatally shot. However, the video shows Toledo holding his unarmed hands up in the air before he was shot in the chest.Screen shots from body cam footage released shows Adam Toledo moments before he was fatally shot by the Chicago police officer.
Following a short chase, Toledo was shot in the chest by a Chicago police officer on the morning of March 29. The incident was termed by one official as an "armed confrontation." According to an initial police statement, the cops responded to a shots fired alert after 2 a.m. Monday in Little Village.
"You Alright?" Cops Asks After Shooting Teen
The nearly 20-second graphic video of the moments before Toledo's death, he is seen being chased by a cop in an alley in Little Village at about 2:38 a.m. on March 29. The cop is heard asking Toledo to stop and show his hands. Toledo is then seen slowing down and finally standing sideways near a large gap in a wooden fence. One of his hand is behind his back. The officer yells, "Drop it!"
In less than a second, Toledo is seen raising his hand as the officer fires a shot hitting him in the chest. The teen is seen falling to the ground as the cop calls for an ambulance and starts giving him CPR. "You alright? Where you shot?" the officer is heard asking Toledo as he asks him to "stay with me."
The footage was part of the 17 bodycam videos, four third-party videos, a transmission from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, two audio recordings of 911 calls, six ShotSpotter recordings, as well as response and arrest reports released by the city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).
Talk of Gun Being Planted by Cops Surfaces on Social Media
The police response report stated that Toledo was armed with a semiautomatic pistol that was "displayed, not used." The officer listed "defense of self" as a reason for shooting.
According to USA Today, Toledo "was seen tossing what appeared to be a gun behind the fence as he slows down, according to surveillance video shot from across a parking lot. The video shows the gun coming to rest on the backside of the fence."
However, discussion about the weapon being planted by the cops near the fence surfaced on social media. "Well, I would really consider who found the gun. Unfortunately, if there is not clear footage of the discovery, that is suspicious, too. Cops will and have planted evidence before and most metro PDs have systems/signals to do so. (i.e. the 'ham sandwich')," wrote a user.
"Adam Toledo was shot less than 3 seconds after being ordered to show his hands. In the video he has nothing with him, so the fake gun in scene was planted. Also in the video you see the officer shove over a random dude before he confronts the kid. Wtf is wrong with cops?" wrote another.
"Adam Toledo was shot in cold blood by cops, the cops then lied and planted a gun near the kids body. The DA saw the body cam video and tried to cover it up. I think we're at the point where we need to disarm the police, they've become as bad as the street thugs," tweeted a user.
