>> OF COURSE THERE ARE STILL SO
MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE POLICE KILLING OF ADAM
TOLEDO UNTIL TODAY'S VIDEO
RELEASE.
AS WELL AS UNCERTAINTY OVER
LINGERING LEGAL AND POLITICAL
FALLOUT.
HERE TO BREAK IT DOWN ARE WTTW
NEWS REPORTERS MATT MASTERSON,
WHO HAS THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT AS ONE OF HIS BEATS.
AND HEATHER CHERONE WHO AMONG
OTHER THINGS COVERS CITY HALL.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
MATT, LET'S START WITH YOU
PLEASE, REMIND US WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT THE TIMELINE ON THE NIGHT
OF MARCH 29TH FROM WHEN POLICE
WERE CALLED TO THE TIME THAT
TOLEDO WAS KILLED?
>> SO THIS STARTED ON THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS OF MARCH 29TH.
AT 2 WOULD AT DO:35AM THERE WAS
A SHOTSPOTTER LOCATION 8 OR 9
GUNSHOTS WERE FIRED.
A COUPLE OF 9-1-1 CALLS WERE
MADE IN THE MINUTES AFTER THAT
AND POLICE RESPONDED TO THAT
LOCATION WHERE THE GUNSHOTS HAD
BEEN FIRED ABOUT THREE MINUTES
AFTER THE SHOTS WERE FIRED.
AND THAT'S WHERE THINGS PICK UP.
THE BODY-CAM FOOTAGE OF THE
OFFICER INVOLVED YOU CAN SEE HIM
GETTING OUT AT 2:38 AND BEGAN
THE FOOT PURSUIT AFTER ADAM
TOLEDO AND THINGS MOVED QUICKLY
BETWEEN THE TIME HE GETS OUT OF
THE CAR AND THE FOOT PURSUIT AND
WHEN HE FIRES THAT SHOT IS 10-15
SECONDS LONG.
>> AND HEATHER, COOK COUNTY
PROSECUTOR IN A BOND HEARING
STATED THAT TOLEDO HAD A GUN IN
HIS HAND WHEN HE WAS FATALLY
SHOT.
BUT NOW THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE IS WALKING THAT BACK.
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
THE STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
TOLD ME TEED THAT THAT
PROSECUTOR WAS NOT PROPERLY
BRIEFED ON WHAT HAPPENED.
AND THAT HE MADE AN ERROR AND
THAT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED
INTERNALLY.
THEY SAID QUOTE THE VIDEO SPEAKS
FOR ITSELF.
THAT HAS LED TO A LITTLE BIT OF
JUST SHOCK AND CONFUSION THAT SO
MANY OF US FELT TODAY.
BECAUSE WE HAVE THOUGHT THAT
MAYBE THIS VIDEO WOULD NOT BE AS
BAD AS WE HAD FEARED WHEN I
THINK THAT THAT PICTURE OF ADAM
HOLDING UP HIS HANDS RIGHT
BEFORE HE IS KILLED IS GOING TO
STICK IN THE MINDS OF A LOT OF
PEOPLE FOR A LONGTIME.
>> MATT, HAS THERE BEEN REACTION
FROM POLICE DEPARTMENT LEADERS
OR THE POLICE UNION SINCE THIS
VIDEO WAS RELEASED THIS NARCH.
>> SO THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN TIGHT LIPPED
ABOUT THIS AS THERE IS AN ACTIVE
INVESTIGATION GOING ON BY
C.O.P.A.
SO THAT IS GOING.
SO THEY DON'T WANT TO COMMENT ON
THIS TOO MUCH.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID INVITE
MEDIA MEMBERS TO VIEW PORTIONS
OF THE SHOOTING VIDEO BEFORE THE
RELEASE THIS AFTERNOON.
BUT THEY WOULDN'T TAKE COMMENTS
OR WOULDN'T PROVIDE CONTEXT INTO
THE VIDEO THEY SHOWED IT TO US
AND THEN IT WAS PUBLICLY
RELEASED A COUPLE HOURS LATER.
AS FOR THE POLICE UNION,
CATANZARA, THE HEAD OF THE UNION
HERE IN CHICAGO HE BELIEVES THE
SHOOTING WAS JUSTIFIED.
HE SAID THE OFFICER HAD LESS
THAN ONE SECOND TO REACT AS
TOLEDO WAS TURNING AROUND DURING
THIS FOOT PURSUIT AND EVEN
THOUGH THE ADAM TOLEDO DID NOT
FIRE ANY SHOTS THE THE OFFICER
THE OFFICER WAS 100% RIGHT IN
PULLING THE TRIGGER.
>> SINCE TOLEDO'S DEATH, MAYOR
LIGHTFOOT CALLED FOR REFORMS TO
C.P.D.'S FOOT PURSUIT POLICY.
HERE IS WHAT SHE SAID TODAY
>> WE HAVE TO DO MORE STARTING
WITH REFORMING THE CHICAGO
POLICE DEPARTMENT'S POLICIES AND
PARTICULARLY THE FOOT PURSUIT
POLICY.
I SAID THIS IN AUGUST OF 2018.
AND HERE WE ARE NOW IN 2021.
FOOT PURSUITS, PUT EVERYONE
INVOLVED AT RISK.
THE OFFICERS, THE PERSON BEING
PURSUED, AND BYSTANDERS.
>> SO MATT WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS
THE MAYOR CALLING FOR HERE?
AND HOW COULD THAT HAVE CHANGED
WHAT HAPPENED TO ADAM TOLEDO?
>> SO THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT
IT NEEDS TO REVISE THE FOOT
PURSUE POLICY IT NEEDS TO BE
CREATED.
SOMETHING CALLED OUT NOT ONLY BY
THE MAYOR BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE THE CONSENT DECREE'S
MONITORING TEAM HAS RAISED FLAGS
ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
AND THEY SAID CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO CREATE A
POLICY THAT LIMIT THE FOOT
PURSUITS THAT ARE DANGEROUS.
THEY NEED TO PUT IN LANGUAGE TO
EXPLAIN WHEN OFFICERS SHOULD AND
SHOULDN'T ENGAGE IN THE PURSUITS
WHEN THEY SHOULD LET A FLEEING
SUSPECT RUN AWAY AND WHAT TO DO
IF THEY ARE SEPARATED FROM THEIR
PARTNERS AND HOW THEY NEED TO
REASSESS THE SITUATION WHEN THEY
ARE ENGAGED.
LIGHTFOOT TOUCHED ON THIS IN THE
PAST.
BUT SHE HASN'T SPECIFICALLY SAID
WHAT SHE BELIEVES NEEDS TO BE IN
THE POLICY.
SHE WANTS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
TO CRAFT SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN
BROUGHT TO HER.
AND THE OFFICERS HAVE MORE
TRAINING HOW TO HANDLE THE
SITUATIONS AND POSSIBLE IN THIS
SITUATION TOLEDO IS ALLOWED TO
RUN.
AND HE IS NOT PURSUED AND THE
SHOOTING DOES NOT OCCUR.
>> THE MAYOR WAS ELECTED ON
POLICE REFORM AS THAT CANDIDATE.
BUT SHE ISN'T SUPPORTING A
CURRENT OVERSIGHT PLAN IN CITY
COUNCIL AND HAS YET TO PRESENT
HER OWN.
WHAT IS THE HOLD-UP?
>> POLITICS AS IT ALWAYS IS.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT WOULD NOT BE
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT IF NOT FOR
FORMER MAYOR EMANUEL'S DECISION
TO LEAD THE POLICE
ACCOUNTABILITY TASK FORCE IN THE
WAKE OF THE DEATH OF LAQUAN
McDONALD A TEENAGER SHOT TO
DEATH BY A CHICAGO POLICE
OFFICER.
SHE CAMPAIGNED VIGOROUSLY IN
FAVOR OF AN ELECTED BOARD BEING
PUT IN CHARGE OF THE CHICAGO
POLICE DEPARTMENT AND STOOD WITH
THE ORGANIZERS WHO CRAFTED ONE
OF THE TWO MEASURES THAT IS NOW
PENDING BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL.
BUT WHEN SHE TOOK OFFICE THE
MAYOR SAID THAT THE DEVIL WAS IN
THE DETAILS AND SHE NO LONGER
SUPPORTED IT BECAUSE IT WOULD
REMOVE THE POWER OF THE MAYOR TO
MAKE A FINAL DECISION ON
POLICIES LIKE FOOT PURSUITS FOR
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THAT'S
WHERE WE STAND.
THERE IS A COMPROMISE MEASURE
WHERE THE TWO MAIN COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS HAVE COME TOGETHER
TO ENDORSE ONE PLAN BUT THE
MAYOR HAS NOT ALLOWED THAT TO
COME UP FOR A VOTE AND IT IS NOT
CLEAR HOW THE STALEMATE WILL BE
BROKEN AND WHETHER THE MAYOR
WILL COME UP WITH HER OWN
PROPOSAL.
>> YOU MENTIONED LAQUAN
McDONALD, THIS IS LIKE DEJA VU
FOR MANY THINK BEING THAT
SHOOTING SEVEN YEARS AGO.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE YOU WOULD
SAY BETWEEN THESE TWO CASES?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO
MUCH THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT
THE DEATH OF ADAM TOLEDO THAT
IT'S HARD TO SAY.
I THINK THAT THAT SENSE OF DEJA
VU IS BECAUSE ADAM TOLEDO IS
ANOTHER TEENAGER WHO WAS SHOT TO
DEATH BY A CHICAGO POLICE
OFFICER JUST LIKE LAQUAN
McDONALD.
AND THERE WERE SO MANY REFORMS
AND THERE WAS SO MUCH ENERGY
BEHIND MAKING SURE SOMETHING
LIKE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN
AND PART OF THE SADNESS THAT
PEOPLE ARE FEELING TODAY IS
BECAUSE THAT IN SOME WAYS IT HAS
HAPPENED AGAIN AND ALL OF THAT