The Chicago police officer who fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo last month in the city’s West Side has been placed on administrative leave, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a police report released Thursday, identified the officer as Eric E. Stillman. Fox 32 reported that Stillman, 34, has served on the force since 2015. The department did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.
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Tim Grace, Stillman’s lawyer, wrote in an email to the Washington Post that the “juvenile offender had the gun in his right hand” and his client had no choice to shoot.
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Grace’s email reportedly said that the teen “looked at the officer which could be interpreted as attempting to acquire a target and began to turn to face the officer attempting to swing the gun in his direction. At this point the officer was faced with a life threatening and deadly force situation. All prior attempts to deescalate and gain compliance with all of the officer’s lawful orders had failed,” he wrote, according to the paper.
The shooting occurred in the city’s West Side on March 29 at around 2:30 a.m. and Toledo died from a gunshot wound to his chest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Journal reported that prosecutors said a 9-millimeter Ruger was found near the fence where the boy was shot.
Adeena J. Weiss-Ortiz, the attorney for the Toledo family, said the video speaks for itself.
“Adam, during his last wind of life, did not have a gun in his hands after the officer screamed at him, ‘show me your hands.’ Adam complied, turned around, his hands were empty when the officer shot him.”
She said, “If he had a gun, he tossed it. The officer said, ‘Show me your hands.” He complied. He turned around.”
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones and the Associated Press contributed to this report