The Civilian Office of Police Accountability says it is determining whether it can release body camera footage of Chicago police fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam Toledo in the Little Village neighborhood early Monday.
Mayor Lori Lighftoot called for the release of the video in a statement Thursday night.
“As a mother of a 13-year-old myself, I can only imagine the incredible pain this boy’s parents are experiencing at this moment,” Lightfoot said in a tweet. “My heart goes out to them.”
This week, two reports related to the Chicago Police Department were released.
A status report from the Independent Monitoring Team overseeing the implementation of a federal consent decree found the police department has missed more reform deadlines than it has met, though some progress was made.
In a follow-up audit on the department’s use of “deeply flawed” gang databases, the Office of the Inspector General found the databases to be filled with errors, disproportionately targeting Black and Latino Chicagoans and ripe for abuse. The OIG found that the department still uses the databases.
Meanwhile, March homicides and shootings have significantly increased compared to March 2020 — 50% and 60%, respectively.
Witness testimony began this week in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd.
On Friday, Lt. Richard Zimmerman said during his testimony that Chauvin’s use of force was “totally unnecessary.”
In Chicago and across the state, coronavirus cases are surging. In Chicago, young people on the North Side are driving the increase, health officials say.
In state and national news, President Joe Biden announced his $2.3 billion infrastructure plan and called for bipartisanship. Former Illinois Democratic state lawmaker Annazette Collins was indicted for federal tax evasion.
And Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill restoring the ability of the Chicago Teachers Union to bargain with the city over a range of issues, including class sizes.
Guests
Patrick Smith, WBEZ | @pksmid
A.D. Quig, Crain's Chicago Business | @ad_quig
Heather Cherone, WTTW | @HeatherCherone
Cheryl Corley, NPR | @nprcherylcorley
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