![]() "This young man had nobody," Cardenas said. However, it was unclear against what, exactly, Latin Kings were reportedly retaliating, or if that alleged threat against police was related to Toledo's killing.įurthermore, Alderman George Cardenas, who represents portions of Little Village, appeared to affirm speculation about the boy's alleged criminal activity by making the following comment at a April 5 news conference: Members often pledge their allegiance as children or pre-teens.Īlso accurate was that the Chicago Sun-Times reported the city's police department issued an "officer safety alert" on April 1 (three days after Toledo's shooting) that claimed gang leaders in the same area told ranking members to shoot at unmarked police vehicles as a form of retaliation. This much was true: The area of Toledo's shooting is a stronghold of the Latin Kings street gang - a sophisticated drug-trafficking operation with factions across the nation, leaders in and out of prison, and a violent reputation. He was in jail at the original publication of this report. ![]() Then, weeks later, authorities arrested Roman in connection with an unrelated case and added on felony charges of alleged child endangerment, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and reckless discharge of a firearm for his actions on March 29 involving Toledo. (Later, the boy's mother told the Chicago Sun-Times she did not know Roman.) At first, he gave authorities a fake name for the teen, and then denied knowing who he was with in the alley, reported the Chicago Tribune. Police initially arrested Roman on a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. Below is a tweet authored by Chicago Police Spokesman Thomas Ahern just hours after the shooting:Īnother police document from that night, titled "Tactical Response Report" (a portion of which is displayed below), said officers were not pursuing the subject (Toledo) for "drug-related" or "gang-related" reasons, and that the boy "did not follow verbal direction" and presented an "imminent threat" with a semi-automatic pistol. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the body-camera indeed recorded a handgun on the ground next to the boy's body. Then, in the split seconds before the police officer opened fire, Toledo was recorded holding what appeared to be a handgun, dropping that item, turning toward the cop and starting to raise his arms, per our frame-by-frame analysis of the video. As another officer supposedly caught up to Roman, Stillman kept chasing the teen, yelling "Police! Stop! Stop right fucking now!" Over the course of seconds, one of the officers - later identified as 34-year-old Eric Stillman - exited his squad car and started running after Toledo and Roman, according to Snopes' analysis of footage from Stillman's body-worn camera. According to prosecutors, Roman had fired a gun at a passing car. It's unknown why, under what circumstances, or how the boy wound up in an alley with an older man (whom authorities later identified as 21-year-old Ruben Roman of Chicago) hours later that night.īut around 3 a.m., two Chicago police officers confronted the 13-year-old and Roman while investigating gunshots in Little Village, a predominately Latino neighborhood on Chicago's southwest side. Eventually, she said, he returned home the night of March 28. What Happened on the Night Toledo Died?Įlizabeth Toledo, the teen's mother, told reporters her son had gone missing for several days in late March, and that she contacted Chicago police to help find him. In fact, the authenticity of the images in Ngô's post was unknown, meaning it was possible the screenshots did not depict real condolences by people who knew Toledo.īelow, we compiled reporting from reputable news outlets and other evidence to lay out the circumstances of Toledo's killing that ignited protests over alleged police brutality's effect on Black and Latino communities, the circumstances under which the internet perpetuated the above-mentioned rumors about the Latin Kings, and proof that the teenager had no history with Illinois' criminal justice system. ![]() However, no evidence we found substantiated those claims - that Toledo participated in organized street crime and/or considered himself a member of the Latin Kings, or that "Lil Homicide" or "Bvby Diablo" were authentic nicknames for him, and that those monikers related to his social status or circle.
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