Support for the family of Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old shot and killed by a Chicago police officer in late March, grew Saturday while the family and community continued to wait for the investigation into the officer's actions to be completed.
To pay their respects, a small group of people gathered Saturday in the Little Village alley where Adam was fatally shot in the early hours of March 29.
“I’m just really sad,” said Chicago resident Karina Perez. “I feel sick to my stomach every time I think about it. He was so young.”
For days people have been stopping by the memorial and leaving flowers, candles and balloons in honor of the 13-year-old.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“We have to come together for Adam, for the community, for more kids not to go through that path,” said Francisco Gomez, who lives in Little Village.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability - Chicago's police oversight agency - made videos of the shooting public on Thursday, two days after Adam's family was shown footage of the incident.
Body camera footage shows Adam running from a Chicago police officer down an alley. Adam starts to turn toward the officer, and is in the process of putting his hands up when the officer fires his weapon once, striking the teen in the chest.
Local
It did not appear that Adam was holding a weapon when he was shot. A weapon was found behind a fence shortly after he was shot, according to the video.
Friday night thousands of protestors demanded justice for Adam, marching through the streets of the city's Logan Square neighborhood. The march was peaceful, but toward the end cell phone video captured tense moments when protestors clashed with police officers.
“We were dispersing from a protest, everybody was leaving to go home when the police starting making arrests,” said Anthony McCullom.
McCullom said he was one of two men arrested Friday night. He faces a misdemeanor charge for reckless conduct, accused of pushing and shoving officers.
“My son just trying to pick people keep folks from being trampled,” said McCullom's mother, Amika Tendaji, who serves as executive director for Black Lives Matter Chicago.
Meanwhile, a peace walk for Adam is scheduled for Sunday evening at 5 p.m. Organizers encourage people to wear white to remember his life.
“We want to support the family that's going through this pain, we're asking everybody if they're going to the march, we're asking them to go out there peacefully,” said Mara Castillo, human rights consultant for the Little Village Community Council.
As for the investigation, a spokesperson for COPA said progress is being made as the agency is interviewing witnesses and the officers involved. However, COPA could not provide a timeline on when a determination will be made into the officer’s use of force.
