The gun was in the boy’s hand when a police officer shot him in the chest, according to Assistant State Attorney James Murphy.
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21-year-old Ruben Roman is now facing charges of reckless dismissal of a firearm and the illegal use of a weapon by a criminal, as well as threatening children and violating the trial, Chicago police said.
Prosecutors said the nearby surveillance video captured the moment when Roman fired shots at a passing vehicle early in the morning of March 29 while Adam was standing by his side on the corner of 24th Street and Sawyer Avenue.
They also said that the video from the police body camera, which will be shown to the public to Toledo’s family, captured the moments when an officer repeatedly told Adam to quote ‘drop it’.
Reportedly, the video shows Adam stopping with his left to the officer.
Prosecutors described the teenager with a gun in his right hand and said when he turned to the officer, the officer shot Toledo in the chest.
Prosecutors have suggested that the Ruger 9mm pistol that fell out of Adam’s hand was previously used by Roman. This matched the seven casings of shells that were later recovered at the site where Roman fired the initial shots, Murphy said. Adam’s hand was later also tested positive for gunshot wounds, prosecutors said.
After the shooting, Roman is initially charged with a felony of resisting arrest. An arrest warrant was issued last week after Roman skipped a court date, and he was found in a closet in Maywood on Friday, Murphy said.
Murphy also said that when detectives questioned Roman about Adam’s identity, they gave Roman a false name. He denied knowing Adam or fired any shots, claiming he was ‘waiting for a train’ in the alley, according to Murphy.
Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood said Roman left high school in 11th grade but recently enrolled in a GED program and waited for several jobs after being unemployed for the past two months.
While Murphy claimed that Roman’s alleged actions endangered Adam and led to his death, Smallwood refused to accept that Roman was endangering Adam, saying that there was no evidence that the gun belonged to Roman, that he wear the red gloves that tested positive. for shooting remains or that he even brought Adam outside in the first place.
“The victim died at the Chicago police station, not my client,” Smallwood said.
This morning, Mayor Lori Lightfoot discussed the release of the police video of the fatal incident during an unrelated vaccination event.
‘I’ve been very clear since day one that transparency is always important in something as important as a police officer shooting, but I’m going to have respect for what Toledo wants to do, she’ll have the opportunity to see the video with her advice early next week and then we leave. We will hopefully follow their lead in this, “said Lightfoot.
Attorneys for the Toledo family were present during Roman’s mortgage hearing on Saturday.
“Until we see all the videos and examine the evidence ourselves, we will not be able to comment,” attorney Adeena Weiss Ortiz said in a statement.
The Toledo family and lawyers have an appointment with the Civil Office of Police Responsibility next week to see the body camera video and other material regarding the shooting, the statement said.
Toledo’s funeral was held Friday.
Chicago police officers canceled free days for officers next week as they prepared for possible protests. Officials said the Toledo family showed the video of the shooting before it was made public.
Protesters took to the streets Friday night as Chicago Department of Police began preparing for the release of police footage.
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The ABC7 I-Team has learned that the video is expected to be released next week, after Toledo’s family had the opportunity to see it and approve its release.
A memorandum on security planning, obtained by the I-Team, states that a decision can be made next Wednesday or Thursday and that the city is monitoring intelligence and social media for possible unrest related to the release of the video. Officers are being told that their holidays will be canceled and patrols increased in anticipation of possible unrest.
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In an earlier statement, family lawyers said: “The City of Chicago, the Chicago Police Department and the Civil Service Office for Police Liability have been very cooperative. We want to correct speculative media reports that suggest otherwise.”
The statement went on to say Toledo’s funeral was held Friday and thanked the family for “pouring out support and respect for their privacy in this time of mourning.”
Protesters took over the Gold Coast intersection of Wabash and Chestnut amid a busy Friday night, drawing attention to Toledo’s shooting death.
The group gathered on the West Side, where they held signs and chanted for passing drivers. They said the teenager in Chicago was not justified, and that they wanted the facts.
The protesters then formed a caravan from the West Side to the Gold Coast. Police get ready for bigger and possibly more turbulent protests
Alderman Ray Lopez recently met with CPD leadership in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the violence that followed George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.
Sun-Times Media contributed to this report.
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