Administrative charges that seek the firing of the officer who fatally shot a 13-year-old boy in the Little Village neighborhood two years ago have been filed by the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
Officer Eric Stillman shot and killed Adam Toledo during a foot pursuit in the Southwest Side neighborhood in March 2021. Body camera footage shows Stillman fired a single shot just moments after the teen tossed a gun and raised his hands to the officer.
The first status hearing in Stillman’s disciplinary case is scheduled for May 1, according to the Chicago Police Board. Interim Chicago police Superintendent Eric Carter filed the administrative charges Monday.
Though still a significant development, the process to bring charges against Stillman was set in motion six months ago. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability — the agency that investigates uses of force by CPD officers — recommended that Stillman be fired for the shooting. Meanwhile, former CPD Superintendent David Brown said the officer should only face a suspension.
That disagreement triggered a process known as a “request for review,” in which a single, randomly selected member of the police board would decide whether or not Stillman would face administrative charges and an evidentiary hearing. Board President Ghian Foreman decided in October 2022 that Stillman would indeed face that process.
“Based on a thorough review of the material, the parties and the public will benefit from a full evidentiary hearing on this matter, and so referring this matter for a hearing before the full police board will be the appropriate next step,” Foreman said during the board’s October meeting.
Last year, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced that it would not bring criminal charges against Stillman. Meanwhile, the teen’s family filed a 10-county wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Stillman and the city.
Attorneys representing Stillman and the city recently filed a motion to dismiss two counts that allege Stillman was insufficiently trained as a police officer, court records show. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for Thursday.
Stillman shot the teen in the early hours of March 29, 2021, after a ShotSpotter alert called officers to the area near the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue. Upon arrival, Stillman and his partner chased after Toledo and another man, Ruben Roman, then 21.
Police took Roman into custody after Toledo was shot and he was later charged with three felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one felony count of recklessly discharging a firearm. He was acquitted of the charges in a bench trial in November 2022.
