Chicago officer to face no charges over fatal shooting of Adam Toledo
The 13-year-old was shot last year along with a 22-year-old by police officers who will face no charges.
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Adam Toledo, 13, and Anthony Alvarez, 22
Chicago police officers who fatally shot Adam Toledo, 13, and Anthony Alvarez, 22, last year, will not be faced with charges, according to a prosecutor on Tuesday.
Kim Foxx, the Cook County state's attorney, has cited insufficient evidence as the reason.
Both killings were caught on video, which showed both suspects appearing to have handguns.
The videos were released in April 2021 and the Chicago police department was under high scrutiny and criticism for reform. The department has had a record of discrimination, misconduct, and police brutality.
Another reason for criticism is the method of pursuit that was undertaken by both officers, Evan Solvano, who killed Alvarez, and Eric Stillman, who killed Toledo. Both officers pursued the young men by foot, which according to the US Department of Justice, is dangerous both for officers and their suspects and leads to a higher number of unnecessary shootings.
Alvarez's family sued the city of Chicago due to its lack of adopting clear legislation on foot pursuits, while Foxx was also critical of the situation.
The prosecutor met with families of both victims and described them as "heartbroken", adding that she had "deep concerns" about the department's policy on foot pursuits.
According to the city of Chicago, it is reviewing its policy of foot pursuits due to the city's mayor Lori Lightfoot demanding changes be made after the shootings from last year.
The New York Times reported that the number of people killed by US police officers has not decreased since George Floyd and Daunte Wright's murders in 2020, knowing that many US police violence cases go unreported or misclassified in official records.
Although ex-officers Derek Chauvin and Kimberly Potter were convicted for the killings of Floyd and Wright respectively, "accountability for officers who kill remains elusive," the newspaper said.
In the meantime, a study conducted by the University of Washington showed that Black people were 3.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by officers.
