Killing Of Adam Toledo
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On March 29, 2021, Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old
Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...
boy, was shot and killed by
Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...
(CPD) officer Eric Stillman in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago at 2:38am local time. On April 10, during a proffer reading in court for criminal charges filed against the adult who gave Toledo the handgun involved in the incident, a Cook County assistant prosecutor falsely told the judge that Toledo was holding the gun at the time Toledo was shot; the assistant prosecutor was later placed on administrative leave for this statement. On April 15, Stillman's body cam video recording was released, showing Toledo running away and dropping a handgun before he turned towards Stillman and raised his empty hands. According to the Chicago Police Department, Stillman shot at the boy less than a second after he dropped the gun. An area resident who said she witnessed the shooting from her apartment window across the street said that Toledo was complying with the officer's requests when he was shot. The release of the body cam video sparked
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
in Chicago and around the country. Toledo was one of the youngest people killed by the police in the state of
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
in years. His death has been connected by some analysts to a broader pattern of disproportionate police violence against Latinos and other children of color. It also occurred as the United States was grappling with several high-profile cases of police killing unarmed
people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...
. In May 2021, the First Assistant State's Attorney who had reviewed the inaccurate proffer was forced to resign. In March 2022, authorities announced there would be no criminal charges brought against the officer involved in the killing of Toledo. The Assistant State's Attorney who gave the inaccurate proffer later became a judicial candidate in 2023.


People involved


Adam Toledo

Adam Toledo (May 26, 2007 – March 29, 2021) was
Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...
. At the time of his death, he was a seventh-grader in the special-education program at Gary Elementary School from the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. He had no prior criminal record and was 13 years old when he was killed.


Ruben Roman

Ruben Roman is a 21-year-old who was with Toledo. He was arrested by the CPD at the scene. He is alleged to have ties to the Latin Kings criminal gang.


Eric Stillman

Eric Stillman is the 34-year-old police officer who shot Toledo. He has worked for the CPD since 2015. He was placed on
administrative leave Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. Definition The definition of adm ...
for 30 days following the incident. On May 6, 2021, it was announced Stillman had not returned to the CPD, though his routine leave had already ended. On March 15, 2022, Kim Foxx’s office announced Stillman would not be charged for killing Toledo, due to “insufficient evidence” to file criminal charges. In April 2023, disciplinary charges alleging multiple rule violations in relation to Toledo's shooting were filed against Stillman, and the Department recommended that Stillman be fired. The decision regarding Stillman would be decided by the Chicago Police Board.


Incident


Initial reports

Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...
s alleged that at around 2:30 a.m., Toledo and Roman were walking toward 24th Street when Roman fired multiple rounds as a vehicle passed. Police
ShotSpotter SoundThinking, Inc. (formerly ShotSpotter Inc.) is an American security technology company based in Fremont, California. The company is publicly traded, and is known for its gunfire locator service. ShotSpotter claims it can identify whether or n ...
detector technology registered shots fired and a squad car arrived at the scene. According to a statement from prosecutors, Toledo ran away from the officers that arrived, was chased into an alleyway, turned back to the officers with a gun in his hand, and was then shot by officer Eric Stillman in the chest. The police said that a handgun was recovered at the scene from behind a fence. Around 5:00 a.m., a CPD spokesman
tweeted A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...
"one subject fled on foot which resulted in an armed confrontation." Around 4:00 p.m., the department released an official press release stating, "One armed offender fled from the officers. A foot pursuit ensued which resulted in a confrontation". Several days later,
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...
prosecutor James Murphy issued a statement in court alleging that Toledo was armed when he was killed. Following the public release of body cam footage, Murphy was placed on administrative leave over the statements, and the Cook County State's Attorney opened an internal investigation into the matter, including into whether or not Murphy had access to the footage at the time he made them. On May 5, 2021, Murphy's supervisor, First Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Coleman, was forced to resign when it was determined that she failed to prepare Murphy correctly with late minute additions to what material facts were known at the time.


Body cam footage

Body cam footage of Toledo's shooting, released on April 15, 2021, showed that Toledo was unarmed at the moment he was shot. The video shows officer Stillman chasing Toledo into the alleyway and yelling at him to stop. Toledo slows down and stops as Stillman catches up to him. In footage taken from another angle, Toledo appears to throw a pistol behind a fence just before turning to face the officer (body cam footage shows a pistol being recovered behind the fence two minutes after the shooting).Mauricio Peña, Kelly Bauer, and Joe Ward (April 15, 2021)
Video Shows Chicago Police Shooting 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo As He Raised His Hands
. Block Club Chicago.
Stillman yells "Show me your fucking hands" and "drop it" while flashing a strobe flashlight at him. Toledo turns around with his empty hands in the air, and Stillman then shoots Toledo as he does so. According to the CPD, there were 838 milliseconds (0.838 or 56 of a second) "between gun shown in hand and single shot". After shooting Toledo, officer Stillman called for medical assistance and began to perform
CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...
on him. Toledo was pronounced dead at the scene.


Investigations and legal proceedings

Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who was the mayor of Chicago#List of mayors, 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she ...
called for reforms to how police pursue individuals on foot and called for a "thorough, expeditious" investigation.


Autopsy

On May 6, a Chicago medical examiner concluded Adam was killed by "a single bullet which entered the left side of his chest and exited the right side of his back".


Stillman investigation

On April 19, 2021, it was reported that Stillman had been interviewed by
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...
prosecutors as a part of their review of Toledo's death. That same day, it was reported Stillman had been listed as a victim on an incident report, which one law-enforcement expert said was a tactic used to shift the "focus of culpability and blame onto the actual victim of the police deadly-force incident, i.e., the person who the police killed." Stillman was ultimately not charged for the killing.


Roman charges

Ruben Roman, the 21-year-old who was arrested on the night of Toledo's death, was charged with
felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...
counts of
child endangerment Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm. He was released on
bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...
on April 19, 2021, after the Chicago Community Bond Fund paid his bond. A representative of the organization stated, “We are aware that the city will continue to use him as a scapegoat for the killing of Adam Toledo, which was committed by the Chicago Police Department.” In 2022, Roman was
acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...
on the weapons charges.


State's Attorney investigation

On April 17, 2021,
Kim Foxx Kimberly M. Foxx ( Anderson; born April 9, 1972) is an American politician who served as Cook County State's Attorney, State's Attorney (district attorney) for Cook County, Illinois from 2016 to 2024. She managed the second largest prosecutor's ...
, the
Cook County State's Attorney The Cook County State's Attorney is the District attorney, chief prosecutor for Cook County, Illinois. The State's Attorney oversees the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States, with over 600 attorneys and 1,200 employees. The off ...
, announced an investigation into why prosecutor's earlier descriptions of the shooting of Adam Toledo hadn't matched the video. Later that day, Foxx's office announced James Murphy, the prosecutor who had provided the "misleading" description of the video, would be placed on
administrative leave Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. Definition The definition of adm ...
. During a press conference on April 22, Foxx addressed the investigation, saying, "This is about the expectation of law enforcement to be forthright and transparent. There is no sacrificial lamb here. This is about making sure that we get it right and when we don't get it right, owning it doing what we need to do to make sure that it doesn't happen again." After Foxx admitted that she had neither watched the full video nor reviewed Murphy's statements prior to the court hearing, individuals such as a former-Representative
Luis Gutierrez Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
criticized her office. Gutierrez stated, "I would’ve spoken out earlier. I would've reached out. But you know what I thought? I said, the kid had a gun. He pointed it at the police officer. And then I saw the video. I didn't see a gun. What I saw was a frightened 13-year-old kid getting shot by a police officer." On May 5, Foxx' office announced it had concluded its investigation, stating that Murphy "did not intend to give the impression that Adam Toledo was holding a gun when shot," that he had returned to his assignment, and was no longer on leave. First Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Coleman announced she would resign following the office's investigation.


Calls for DOJ investigation

On April 20, 2021, a group of Latino law associations, including the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
's Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities, the Pilsen Law Center, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois, called on the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
to launch a formal investigation into Toledo's death. The founder of the Pilsen Law Center stated, "Faith and trust in the police department are in short supply in the Latino community. An objective investigation conducted by the Justice Department would send a message to our community that this time is different." A DOJ investigation was not ultimately opened regarding the killing.


Reactions


Protests

Protests erupted in Chicago in the days following Toledo's death. In the lead up to the release of the body cam footage, all Chicago police officers' days off were cancelled to "ensure public safety". During the press conference releasing the body cam footage, Mayor Lightfoot stated that the city would be putting into place plans to prepare for unrest. In Chicago, protests in response to the video were peaceful. On April 15, several protests took place following the release of the body cam footage, one of which shut down traffic on northbound Michigan Avenue, and another of which occurred at Union Park. On April 16, protests of thousands of people were reported in Logan Square. Protestors chanted slogans like "
Hands Up, Don't Shoot "Hands up, don't shoot", sometimes shortened to "hands up", is a slogan and gesture that originated after the August 9, 2014, shooting of Michael Brown, police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and then adopted at protests against ...
", "
No justice, no peace "No justice, no peace" is a political slogan which originated during protests against acts of ethnic violence against African Americans. Its precise meaning is contested. The slogan was used as early as 1986, following the Howard Beach incident, ...
", "Justice for Adam Toledo", and "Stop Racist Police Terror". Protestors called for Stillman's arrest, and for Lightfoot's resignation, citing her slow response to release information about the incident publicly. Lightfoot announced she would not resign. Protests and vigils for Toledo spread to other major cities in the United States.


Family

The Toledo family released a statement on April 16 that implored "everyone who gathers in Adam's name to remain peaceful, respectful and nonviolent and to continue to work constructively and tirelessly for reform." Toledo's mother also said, "Adam was a sweet and loving boy. He would not want anyone else to be injured or die in his name." Toledo's older brother said Adam "wasn't a bad kid like everyone says he was. Us being little kids, we all made mistakes... kids will be kids and will make mistakes, but will learn from them– something my little brother didn't get the chance to do." The Toledo family's lawyer, Adeena Weiss-Ortiz, said "The last time his mother saw him, she was putting him to bed in the room that he shared with his 11-year-old brother. And the next time she saw him, he was in the morgue."


Media

In the aftermath of the shooting, Toledo and his family became targets of criticism by some commentators. In an interview with ''
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
'', a
police union A police union is a trade union for Police officer, police officers. Police unions formed later than most other occupations, reflecting both a conservative tendency and relatively superior working conditions. The first police unions Police union#Un ...
representative described Toledo as a gang member and his killer as "heroic". Some attacked Toledo's mother. After implications were made that Toledo was a street kid, his family stated, “We want to correct the hurtful and false mischaracterization of Adam as a lonely child of the street who had no one to turn to. This is simply not true.” Eddie Bocanegra, of READI Chicago, criticized those attacking Toledo's mother, telling ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', “It's bullshit... People ask, ‘What was he doing out at two-thirty,’ or they talk shit about his mom. Everyone's so quick to judge." Some media commentators, such as
John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British and American comedian who hosts ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' on HBO. He started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom and came to wider attention for his work ...
, criticized Chicago's changing characterizations of the shooting; Oliver stated, "We couldn't even finish writing about what happened to Daunte Wright before the city of Chicago released video of one of their officers killing a 13-year-old unarmed child, Adam Toledo—footage which clearly contradicted the picture of an armed confrontation painted by the police and the mayor, as well as a prosecutor who said Toledo had a gun in his hand when he was shot, which he did not." Columnist
Eric Zorn Eric Zorn (born January 6, 1958) is an American former op-ed columnist and daily blogger for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who specialized in local news as well as politics. Early life and education Zorn is a graduate of the University of Michigan, whe ...
wrote an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' on April 6, 2021, saying it was "too early to say with confidence" what happened and thus Toledo should not be portrayed as a "martyr" until more facts come out. His comments were received with outrage. Days later in another op-ed, Zorn wrote that the "less supportive response" to his comments "took fair exception to my chilly, analytical tone... I regret that tone. In focusing on details and marshaling evidence and arguments, I can neglect the emotional resonance in situations, as though I’ve forgotten or don't care that a child who was loved has died... I should have done better." In a ''
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
'' op-ed, the attorney Raul A. Reyes wrote, "Much of what we know so far is unacceptable... There has been a disproportionate focus on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, rather than on the fact that a police officer killed an unarmed child. Sadly, this kind of violence is familiar to Latino communities– and that should disturb all Americans."


Public officials

Congressman
Joaquin Castro Joaquin Castro (born September 16, 1974) is an American lawyer and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2013. The distr ...
wrote on Twitter, "Adam Toledo was 13-years-old. He complied and had his hands up. Chicago police killed him with a shot to the chest and then lied that he posed an imminent threat. The Toledo family deserves justice and accountability." His brother, former-Secretary
Julian Castro Julián Castro ( , ; born September 16, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician from San Antonio, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the youngest member of President Obama's cabinet, serving as the 16th United States secretar ...
, wrote, "Chicago PD shot Adam Toledo with his hands in the air instantaneously after ordering him to do so—then lied about it. They executed Adam, a boy who was not yet in high school. Indict this officer, then pass a national use of force standard immediately." Former-U.S. Secretary of Labor
Robert Reich Robert Bernard Reich (; born June 24, 1946) is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and he served as United States Secretary of Labor, Se ...
wrote, "
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
called Adam Toledo a '13-year-old man'. On Hannity's show,
Pam Bondi Pamela Jo Bondi ( ; born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who has served as the 87th United States attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 37th attorney general of Fl ...
called
Kyle Rittenhouse Kyle Howard Rittenhouse (born January 3, 2003) is an American man who gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two fatally, in August 2020, amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He ...
a 'little boy'. This tells you everything you need to know about the state of
white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
in this country." Senator
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
wrote on Twitter, "My heart goes out to the loved ones of Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright and everyone who's reeling from these horrifying killings. We must reimagine our criminal justice system and root systemic racism out of every institution."
Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...
Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...
wrote, "Adam Toledo was just 13 years old. He was a child. This is heartbreaking. He deserves justice. His family deserves justice."
Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who was the mayor of Chicago#List of mayors, 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she ...
,
mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of city Government of Chicago, government in Chicago, Illinois, the List of United States cities by population, third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsib ...
, made an emotional call for peace after a video of Toledo's death was released on April 15. Illinois state Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, whose district includes Little Village, stated on the capitol floor on April 16, "If you put your hands up, they shoot. If you put your hands down, they shoot. If you walk, you run, you hide, you sleep, you do exactly as they say, they still shoot. What are we supposed to do?" Illinois Governor
J. B. Pritzker Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 43rd governor of Illinois. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker has started several vent ...
held a press conference about Toledo's death, stating it was “abundantly clear that our entire system failed Adam,” and that authorities need to move to “investigate and adjudicate what happened that night in Little Village in the interest of justice and accountability.” On Twitter, Illinois senator
Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...
wrote, "If we're to truly be the Land of the Free, every single American must feel safe, must be able to live."
White House Press Secretary The White House press secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the United States federal government, especially with regard to the president, senior aides and ...
Jen Psaki Jennifer Rene Psaki (; born December 1, 1978) is an American television political analyst and former government official. A political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations, she served the Biden administration as the ...
stated in a press conference, "I will say for those of us who did watch that video, it is certainly chilling. And a reminder that across the country there are far too many communities where there is violence that is impacting... that too often in this country law enforcement uses unnecessary force, too often resulting in the death of Black and brown Americans.”


Public figures and institutions

Domingo García, the president of
LULAC The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was established on February 17, 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas, largely by Hispanics re ...
, stated, “Words promising disciplinary action or possible court justice are not sufficient. Fire this officer now and make it clear that it is not open season on Latinos! This is a bad cop who acted out of anger and wanted to get even while Adam, barely a teenager, turned around and was trying to obey the officer's orders to show his hands. The video shows an execution, nothing less. LULAC demands accountability and anything short of that is unacceptable.” Referring to controversy surrounding Chicago's foot pursuit policy, the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
released a statement saying, "The anger and frustration expressed by many in viewing the video is understandable and cannot be ignored. Now is a moment to truly embrace impacted communities in a critical discussion about needed changes to policing – including the adoption of a long-overdue foot chase policy that emerges from true, face-to-face community dialogue." Access Living, a
disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...
organization in Chicago, released a statement, saying, "We continue to see the lives of people of color being the target of our criminal system. A high proportion of people involved... with law enforcement are people of color; of these, many are also disabled. Adam's young life was another example of how we must continue to push for change and transparency within the systems that are failing us. All students of color with disabilities like Adam, deserve safety and full support from our society."


Chicago Police Department

On April 1, 2021, the CPD alerted its officers that
Latin Kings The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN, ALKN, or LKN, also known as simply Latin Kings) is a gang active primarily in the United States. The gang was founded by Puerto Ricans in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954. The Latin Kings are one of t ...
gang members were allegedly instructed to open fire at unmarked police cruisers to retaliate for the shooting of Toledo.


Aftermath


Comparisons to other cases

Toledo's death was compared to the 2014 murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke as McDonald was walking away from police during a foot pursuit. Others compared the shooting to the 2012 killing of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd, who was shot in the back of the head by off-duty Chicago Police Officer Dante Servin (Servin claimed he thought he saw a gun, though it turned out to have been a cellphone). Toledo's death was also compared to other police killings of Black and Latino children in the United States, including 12-year-old
Tamir Rice On November 22, 2014, Tamir E. Rice, a twelve year old African-American boy, was killed in Cleveland, Ohio, by Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old white patrolman with the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP). Rice was carrying a replica toy gun; Lo ...
, 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 13-year-old
Andy Lopez Andrew Lopez (born November 30, 1953) is an American former college baseball coach. He was most recently the head baseball coach at the Arizona Wildcats baseball, University of Arizona, and has served as the head baseball coach at Cal State Domin ...
, and 18-year-old
Andrés Guardado José Andrés Guardado Hernández (; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Popularly known as ''Principito'' (Spanish for '' Little Prince''), Guardado came through the youth ranks at ...
. Toledo's death lastly drew comparisons to the
killing of Anthony Alvarez On March 31, 2021, Anthony Alvarez, a 22-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed by a Chicago Police Department officer in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Police body camera footage of Alvarez' death was releas ...
, a 22-year-old Latino man who was killed in a foot pursuit by CPD two days after Toledo.


Impact on the Latino community

Toledo's death sparked discussion within the Latino community about
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...
, a major yet under-discussed issue affecting U.S. Latino communities. According to Roberto Rodríguez, a professor of Mexican-American studies at the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
, many people in the Latino community still saw police violence as an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
issue, stating, "It's like, when you think about Latinos, it's immigration, and if we’re gonna talk about police brutality, law enforcement abuse, we’re talking about the African-American community". Patrisia Macias-Rojas, a professor at the
University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
further stated, “there's a real opportunity here to link up what's been happening in Latino communities around immigration and the criminalization of youth with what's happening around
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
.”


Little Village

In Toledo's hometown of Little Village, some noted a generational divide between older and younger Latinos in their attitudes toward police in response to the shooting. In an interview with the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', Doris Hernandez, a mother who lost her son to violence in 2012, said many older Latino immigrants and refugees in Little Village "come from rural towns with strong conservative values that are reflected in their opinions about religion and policing." In the same interview, Hernandez commended younger Latinos for trying to change the narrative for their parents and elders. According to Dolores Castañeda, a
community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...
in Little Village, fears of intra-community violence sometimes led to a failure "to focus on the root causes of crime, such as a lack of investment in the community, discriminatory policing and police brutality." Others also noted the complexity of the issues facing the Latino community surrounding immigration status and
language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
, in addition to stressors related to police brutality and poverty. Some in the community also expressed fears the CPD had stopped responding to calls in the neighborhood in retaliation for protests against Toledo's shooting; one resident stated, "The police used to take a while before they showed up when people called them for anything. Now they won't show up at all."


Reform proposals

After the release of the video, Illinois state Rep.
La Shawn Ford La Shawn K. Ford (born February 28, 1972) is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 8th district since 2007. The district includes the West Side of Chicago and the suburbs of ...
, the co-sponsor of a bill titled the ''Law Enforcement Accountability Act of 2021'', called for a revamp of foot chase policies and the end of
qualified immunity In the United States, qualified immunity is a legal principle of federal law that grants government officials performing discretionary (optional) functions immunity from lawsuits for damages unless the plaintiff shows that the official violated "c ...
. Some
community organizers Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...
in Chicago, meanwhile, called to "
defund the police In the United States, "defund the police" is a slogan advocating for reallocating funds from police departments to non-policing forms of public safety and community support initiatives, such as social services, youth programs, housing, education, ...
and invest in our communities.” Students in the Chicago School District called for the removal of armed officers from public schools. One student stated, “After I saw what happened to Adam, it made me feel more strongly. It makes you kind of nervous to be in school. It makes you think whether you should go to school."


Foot pursuits

Toledo's death led to a call from the mayor's office for a review of Chicago's foot pursuit practices. Lightfoot and Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said that changes to the city's foot-pursuit policy would be in place by the end of the summer of 2021. In response to these proposed policy changes, Latino community activists called for an immediate moratorium on foot pursuits in Chicago, the development of procedures outlining when an officer can engage in a chase, when lethal force may be used, and what disciplinary action should be taken for violations.


Consent decree

At the time of the shooting, the CPD was operating under a court-ordered
consent decree A consent decree is an agreement or settlement that resolves a dispute between two parties without admission of guilt (in a criminal case) or liability (in a civil case). Most often it is such a type of settlement in the United States. The ...
, which required the city to implement hundreds of reforms to its policing practices. Because consent decrees are monitored by the
U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...
, a group of Latino law associations called on the DOJ to open an investigation into Toledo's death, with a focus on three potential areas of reform: establish clear procedures about foot pursuits, develop oversight on how officers interact with children, and establish policies on how officers engage in car chases in densely populated neighborhoods. A federal investigation was never opened.


Police video

In response to the wide circulation of Stillman's body camera footage, the American journalist Allissa Richardson called for an amendment to the ''
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 (S.193.ENR,) is an enrolled bill, passed by both Houses of the 109th United States Congress, to increase the fines and penalties for violating the prohibitions against the broadcast of obscene, indecen ...
'' to ban such video from being circulated on television and online without the victim's family consent. Richardson wrote, "I now believe that circulating videos of Black and brown death at the hands of police reinforces white supremacy. It does not deter it. These videos are no longer exposing a corrupt police system. They are a reminder of a social hierarchy that privileges police with qualified immunity, rewards racist vigilantes with internet fame and money, and punishes communities of color with death if they question that order."


See also

*
List of homicides in Illinois This is a list of homicides in Illinois. This list includes notable homicides committed in the U.S. state of Illinois that have a Wikipedia article on the killing, the killer, or the victim. It is divided into five subject areas as follows: # M ...
*
Killing of Anthony Alvarez On March 31, 2021, Anthony Alvarez, a 22-year-old Latino man, was shot and killed by a Chicago Police Department officer in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Police body camera footage of Alvarez' death was releas ...
*
Lists of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States Below are lists of people killed by law enforcement in the United States, both on duty and off duty. Lists of killings The numbers below show how many total killings per year are recorded in the linked lists; these values may be less than ...
* Police violence against Mexican Americans


References


External links


Body camera footage
posted by
WLS-TV WLS-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's ABC network outlet. It has been owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division since the station's inception. ...
, via YouTube
Chicago Police Consent Decree
per
Illinois Attorney General The Illinois attorney general is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, the attorney general ...

The Story of Little Village
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
history of Little Village, Chicago {{DEFAULTSORT:Toledo, Adam 2021 in Chicago 2021 controversies in the United States Chicago Police Department Deaths by person in Illinois Filmed killings by law enforcement Incidents of violence against boys Law enforcement controversies in the United States Hispanic and Latino American people shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Illinois March 2021 in the United States