Chicago Police Officer Who Killed 13-Year Old Adam Toledo Minimized His Behavior

I've seen the video of 13-year old Adam Toledo being fatally shot by a Chicago police officer Eric Stillman and am sickened by it. 

The video was released today by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability followed by a press conference Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The homicide occurred in the early morning hours of March 29th. 

I am sickened not only by Stillman's act but by his efforts to minimize his actions. While it is true that Stillman attempted to administer aid to Toledo and called an ambulance he said, "Shots fired by the police." Stillman did not disclose he was the "police" who fired the fatal shot.

Stillman was pursuing Toledo in an alleyway demanding he stop and show his "fucking hands." Toledo stopped and showed his fucking hands and now he is dead because of it. The poor kid should have kept on running.

Yes, it does appear that Toledo had been armed during the pursuit but did not fire at officers nor was he armed at the time he was shot. Indeed, a county prosecutor erroneously claimed that Toledo was armed when he was shot further damaging the credibility of the authorities.

One can argue that Stillman had a split second decision to make but why shoot Toledo after he had complied? There are times when police must use lethal force but the use of lethal force is far too commonplace in America. The police are far too trigger-happy and these are the consequences when police shoot and ask questions later.

The releae of this video will only exacerbate tensions surrounding the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd as well as the police murder of Daunte Wright in neighboring Brooklyn Center. Kim Potter, the officer who shot and killed Wright, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. However, there are many including members of Wright's family who believe the charges should be greater given that former Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor was charged and convicted of second and third degree murder in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Damond.

I have a bad feeling that Officer Stillman won't be charged in connection with killing Toledo and that authorities in Illinois will call it a justifiable homicide. At the pace this keeps going, sooner or later someone is going to take out their anger on police officers just like when two NYPD police officers were ambushed and murdered inside their squad car in Brooklyn in December 2014. This would be a deplorable thing to do and only make matters even worse than they already are. But if people think police can get away with murder there are bound to be people who will see fit to discard justice in favor of revenge and act accordingly.