On March 29th at around 2 a.m., 13-year-old Adam Toledo was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer after he was chased into an ally in the 2400 block of South Sawyer Avenue. Officers were responding to potential shots fired. When officers got on the scene, two people ran off, and officers pursued; the pursuit ended in Toledo’s death.
The body camera footage was released yesterday, and already people and media pundits are choosing sides. I think it’s essential to look at all the evidence before deciding. With the release of the body camera footage and other crime scene photos, it’s hard not to take sides. Some people will say that he dropped the gun and was unarmed, and others might say that the officer had to make a split-second decision. Either way, it’s tragic to see a young life with so much potential ended so tragically.
After viewing the video, I would have to go with the latter. The officer had to make a split-second decision. Most people don’t understand the life and death decisions that many officers have to make in a split second. There is a good reason why they call Chicago Chi-Raq it’s as if these officers, who are sworn to protect and serve, are going into a war zone every time they put on their uniforms. If they hesitate, it could be their families that are called and told that they were shot in the line of duty.
There is undoubtedly room for reforms in policing, but we must keep in mind the life and death situations that these officers must deal with on an everyday basis. Maybe we also need to take a deep look at the inner city values and find better ways to keep these kids from being targeted by gangs that unfortunately lead them to lives of crime and Tragic endings.