Body camera footage of a Chicago police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy on March 29 is set to be released on Thursday, a police accountability board announced.
Last month’s shooting resulted in the death of Adam Toledo, a teenager who was shot in the chest by police during a foot chase in what authorities described as an armed confrontation. Police said they recovered a handgun from the teenager, while a 21-year-old man who was with him was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, according to the Associated Press.
In a Wednesday readout, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability revealed it will release officer body camera footage, video captured by a third party, arrest reports, and recordings of shots being fired in the area that led police to respond to the scene initially.
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COPA originally planned on not releasing the video due to the shooting victim being a minor but altered its decision after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the police superintendent called for the video’s release.
“COPA’s core values of integrity and transparency are essential to building public trust, particularly in incidents related to an officer involved shooting, and we are unwavering in our commitment to uphold these values,” the board said.
The board’s decision comes as a trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd last May, prepares to enter its third week in court. This week has also seen nightly protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, over the police shooting of Daunte Wright, who died after being shot on April 11 during a traffic stop.
Protests have amassed in some parts of Chicago over Toledo’s death but have remained peaceful so far. On Monday, the Chicago Police Department announced it was canceling officers’ days off and was geared to switch to 12-hour shifts for personnel.
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“We appreciate the community support and are grateful that events so far have remained peaceful,” lawyer Adeena Weiss Ortiz said in a statement on behalf of the Toledo family. “… We pray that for the sake of our city, people remain peaceful to honor Adam’s memory and work constructively to promote reform.”
