Chicago authorities released graphic body cam footage showing a police officer fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo on March 29.
The Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability released the body cam footage Thursday, which captures the moment an unidentified officer shoots Toledo.
Prior to the release of the footage, Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the video was “incredibly difficult to watch,” according to CNN.
“As a mom, this is not something you want children to see,” Lightfoot reportedly said.
Lightfoot also urged people to remain “calm” prior to the release of the video.
NEW – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for “calm and peace” after releasing the bodycam footage of a police officer shooting and killing 13-year-old Adam Toledo.pic.twitter.com/XAKh3kIpNX
— Disclose.tv ???? (@disclosetv) April 15, 2021
Police received a call about shots fired around 2:37 a.m., according to NBC5 Chicago. Officers spotted two males in a nearby alley and began pursuing them after they fled police, according to the report.
Footage [Warning: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE] shows officers driving to the scene in the Little Village neighborhood before exiting a patrol vehicle and sprinting down an alley.
“Police, stop. Stop right f***ing now,” an officer can be heard screaming as he pursues Toledo after pushing down 21-year-old Ruben Roman, who was then apprehended by a fellow officer. The officer following Toledo can be heard screaming “Hey show me your f***ing hands, drop it,” before Toledo quickly turns around by a fence and appears to put his hands up.
Approximately 20 seconds after exiting his vehicle and only roughly seconds after getting within close proximity of Toledo, the officer fires a single shot at Toledo, who immediately collapses on the ground.
Footage shows the officer rush up to Toledo asking if he was alright and where he had been shot. (RELATED: Officer Kim Potter Arrested For Second-Degree Manslaughter In Shooting Of Daunte Wright)
“Stay with me. Stay with me,” the officer says in the video as blood rushes out of Toledo’s mouth and nose. The officer radios in for medical attention.
“F**k” the officer can be heard saying before telling police dispatch there was a bullet wound to the upper chest.
Another officer quickly arrives on scene with a medical kit and begins to render aid, with both officers pleading with Toledo to “stay awake” and “stay with me.”
NBC5 Chicago reported police recovered a weapon at the scene and that a prosecutor for the Cook County State Attorney’s Office said Toledo was holding a gun in his hand. Due to the video provided, however, it is unclear whether Toledo was holding the weapon.
A spokesperson for the Cook County State Attorney’s office said the prosecutor “failed to fully inform himself before speaking in court,” pointing to the video which she said “speaks for itself” in a statement to the Daily Caller.
The officer who fired the shot can be seen helping other emergency personnel administer first aid before getting up and walking away from the scene, breathing heavily. The officer can be heard saying “ah f**k” while other officers and first responders can be heard in the background trying to revive Toledo.
Toledo, a seventh grader, was pronounced dead at the scene while Roman was taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest, according to WGN 9.
The footage originally was not going to be released, but a representative for Toledo’s family and members of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel agreed the footage should be released, according to Lightfoot’s office.