On Tuesday (March 15), Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx stated that no charges would be made in the police involved shooting of Adam Toledo, WGNTV reports.
The fatal shooting, involving Chicago police officer Eric Stillman, occurred in the early morning on March 29, 2021. Officers were dispatched after reports of gunfire sounds in the area. Toledo,13, and Roman,21, ran away from police during a foot chase in Little Village. Bodycam footage showed Stillman shooting Toledo once in the chest in an alley. Roman was later detained and released on bail.
After disposing of his gun, Toledo held his hands up before Stillman shot and killed the teen seconds later. “Adam Toledo was turning his body towards officer Stillman with his left hand raised while also discarding the firearm that he held in his right hand,” Foxx detailed during a press conference.
The Toledo family’s attorneys said they are “profoundly disappointed” in response to Foxx’s statement. “[The Toledo family] will move forward by filing a civil complaint for monetary damages against the City of Chicago and Stillman,” the attorneys announced.
“Despite that decision, we will continue fighting for Adam and have filed our civil complaint seeking monetary damages against Officer Stillman and the City of Chicago in our effort to get justice for Adam and the Toledo family,” the counsel added. “Officer Stillman’s use of deadly force was excessive and posed a threat to the safety of Adam and others. We will be contacting the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to address this horrific travesty.”
The family’s lawyers also claimed that “Adam obeyed the police officer’s commands” but was still shot and killed by Stillman. “There are no winners in this very tragic situation,” Foxx said. The office of Illinois State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor shared Foxx’s review of the case agreeing that the officers shouldn’t face charges.
In a similar case, 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez was fatally shot by a police officer on the Northwest side of Chicago just days after Toledo. Prosecutors will not press charges against the officer involved in Alvarez’s case either, Foxx announced.