Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the footage was “excruciating” to watch
Chicago police have released graphic footage of an officer shooting dead a 13-year-old boy in a dark alley.
Bodycam video shows the policeman shouting “Drop it” before shooting Adam Toledo once in the chest on 29 March.
The boy does not appear to be holding a weapon in the split second he was shot, but police video shows a handgun near the spot where he fell.
Small protests were held on Thursday evening around Chicago, hours after the city’s mayor appealed for calm.
The video’s release follows the fatal police shooting on 11 April of Daunte Wright by an officer in a Minneapolis suburb.
That shooting has sparked violent protests as the city awaits the outcome of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer accused in the death of George Floyd.
What does the Adam Toledo footage show?
The clip shows the officer jumping out of his squad car and chasing the Latino boy on foot down a dark alley as another suspect disappears from view.
The policeman shouts: “Police! Stop! Stop right [expletive] now! Hands! Hands! Show me your [expletive] hands!”
The boy turns and raises his hands. The officer shouts “Drop it” and fires his weapon – 19 seconds after exiting his squad car.
Separate CCTV footage appears to show the teenager throwing something through a gap in the fence as the officer runs up to him. Bodycam video shows officers shining a light on a handgun behind the wooden fence after the shooting.
The policeman calls for an ambulance while urging the fallen boy to “stay awake”. Other officers arrive at the scene in the Little Village neighbourhood on the city’s west side and CPR is performed.
According to prosecutors, the teenager was with a 21-year-old man, Ruben Roman, who had just fired a gun at a passing car. The gunfire drew police to the area, resulting in the deadly confrontation.
Mr Roman appeared in court on Saturday charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm and child endangerment, according to local media reports.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released the bodycam footage on Thursday along with CCTV video, arrest reports and audio recordings of the shots fired in the area that alerted police.
What’s the reaction been?
Shortly before the video was released, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a press conference where she called the footage “excruciating” to watch.
“Simply put, we failed Adam,” she said. “And we cannot afford to fail one more young person in our city.”
Mayor Lightfoot urged the public to remain peaceful. (BBC)
