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Trial begins for man who was with 13-year-old Adam Toledo the morning he was fatally shot by police

A man who prosecutors say was with 13-year-old Adam Toledo the morning the teenager was killed faced trial Wednesday on gun charges, with the trial poised to offer more glimpses into the early morning hours in which Toledo was shot and killed in Chicago. policeman

Ruben Roman, 23, is charged with three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm. The charges are not related to Toledo’s death, but rather stem from his alleged actions while he was with the teenager. before the execution. He remains on trial before Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns, meaning a judge, not a jury, will reach the verdict.

The Toledo shooting rocked the city, sparking protests and calls for reform of the Chicago Police Department’s stalking policies, especially after body-worn photos and surveillance footage of his death were released. A video released by the Office of Civilian Police Accountability, which investigates police shootings, showed Toledo throwing the gun over a fence before he was fatally shot by Officer Eric Stillman.

He was one of the youngest people killed by Chicago police in recent years.

Prosecutors say Roman was from Toledo on March 29, 2021, before he was shot, and they say Roman fired the gun, drawing police to the area near the 2400 block of South Sawyer Avenue in Little Village.

At about 2:30 a.m., Roman can be seen on body camera footage coming from Toledo as Roman fired seven or eight shots as a car drove by before the two fled, prosecutors argued at a bail hearing last year. Prosecutors said the shooting was captured by ShotSpotter technology and two police officers responded to the scene.

Police chased Romano and Toledo and captured Romano while the teenager continued to run, prosecutors said. They claim Roman produced a pair of red gloves that tested positive for gunshot residue.

Police continued to pursue Toledo, who was shot by Stillman after he dropped the gun and turned toward the officer with his hands up, according to the video. When announcing it to would not charge StillmanCook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox said the actions happened “almost simultaneously.”

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Prosecutors initially sought to charge Roman with felony child endangerment, a charge that would have directly linked him to the 13-year-old’s death. The However, there was no charge when Roman was accused.

At the time, attorneys said Roman was not involved in the teen’s slaying, and an assistant public defender argued at his 2021 bail hearing that Toledo “died at the hands of Chicago police officers, not my client.”

Fox later said her office ultimately determined the evidence did not support the child endangerment charges against Roman.

“The bottom line is that Mr. Romano’s actions were not the cause of Adam Toledo’s death,” she said.

The police department’s policy on foot pursuits has come under scrutiny after the Toledo shooting and others, including from independent observers CPD progress in compliance with a broad consent decree ordering reform.

The department released its final, revised version the foot of the persecution of politics earlier this year.

mabuckley@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-ruben-roman-adam-toledo-trial-20221116-mqqattxt7zd2vgljqidnm2gzsu-story.html#ed=rss_www.chicagotribune.com/arcio/rss/category/news/

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