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Adam Toledo death: Bodycam footage shows teen was shot by cop within 'eight-tenths of a second' of complying

Social media was initially angry that Toledo is seen with empty hands that he raises when confronted, while police claims it was 'armed confrontation'

Following the gruesome death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo at the hands of a Chicago police officer, the released bodycam footage of the cop shows how the teenager was fired within less than a second of complying to the police. It has already become a major controversy how police claimed that Toledo was carrying a weapon, whereas the bodycam footage shows nothing of that sort. But as newer, finer details gain the spotlight, Toledo can be seen turning around as per police commands and immediately being fatally shot in the chest.

Social media was angry that Toledo is seen with empty hands which he raises when confronted. Cops, who had called it an armed confrontation, had then tweeted the photo of a gun that they claimed was later recovered from behind the fence of the alley where the encounter happened. They said it was the same one Toledo was seen holding when officers began chasing him in the alley.

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Who shot Adam Toledo?

Identified as 34-year-old Eric Stillman, Toledo's shooter can be seen chasing him on foot in the jumpy bodycam footage. Stillman shouts at Toledo: "Show me your f**king hands," before adding something like "stop it" or "drop it", as the teen stops and puts his hands up and immediately, within a second, a shot is fired at his chest. Toledo can then be seen falling to the ground as the officer rushes to check on him, calling for medical backup instantly. Toledo was reportedly pronounced "deceased on scene" soon after. 

These body camera footage were released by Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the police oversight agency which reviews officers firing department-issued handguns. Police claim this video shows a gun in Toledo's right hand as the boy nears the fenced area of an open parking loft. When addressed, Toledo stops to turn to his left to face the officer, and police claim at this time the alleged gun disappears behind his right side. In response to the officer, Toledo begins raising his hands and the officer immediately fires. 

13-year-old boy shot within 'eight-tenths of a second'

CNN notes, the entire incident lasts about 10 minutes, from the time gunfire was detected by police technology at 2.36 am, to the point where Toledo is pronounced dead at 2.46 am. And the time between police claiming they saw the gun in Toledo's hand in the camera footage, to the time the officer fires his weapon was eight-tenths of a second. In that time, it's visible to the naked eye how the boy's right arm disappears behind him as he turns to face the cop.

"At the time Adam was shot, he did not have a gun. OK?" his family's attorney, Adeena Weiss-Ortiz, insisted in an April 15 afternoon press conference. "In that slo-mo version (of one of the videos), whatever he had in his hand, whether it was a gun or something else, there was something in his hand, he approaches the fence, he lets it go, he turns around, and he's shot." The attorney continued: "It could be a gun. I'm not going to deny that, that it could be a gun, but I can't tell you with 100% certainty until I have that video forensically analyzed and enhanced. But it is not relevant, because he tossed the gun. If he had a gun, he tossed it."

Representing Stillman, Timothy Grace however said the situation was tragic, but his client was "left with no other option". He told the press "The juvenile had a handgun in his right hand, given verbal direction, told to drop and stop and to adhere to the police officer's valid, lawful orders and the juvenile begins to turn. At that point (the officer) has no cover, no concealment, he's left with no other option." Grace added: "He feels horrible about the outcome. He feels horrible he had to use deadly force. No police officer wants to use deadly force in the line of duty. He was well within his justification of using deadly force, he just feels horrible."