‘We failed him’: Mayor voices sorrow as prosecutors admit 13-year-old Adam Toledo wasn’t holding gun

‘An attorney who works in this office failed to fully inform himself before speaking in court’

A Chicago prosecutor’s office walked back claims Adam Toledo was holding a gun when shot by police after video showed the 13-year-old with empty hands in the air.

The video prompted the city’s mayor Lori Lightfoot, who had supported prosecutors’ version of events, to say they "failed Adam".

"We cannot afford to fail one more young person in our city,” she said at a press conference, while declining to comment on whether the videos showed a gun in his hand.

" I don’t want to get into the real substance of this because the independent investigation is going on, but I’ve seen no evidence whatsoever that Adam Toledo shot at the police."

At a bond hearing for the man Adam was with before he died, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said at the time of the shooting, "[Toledo] has a gun in his right hand".

In response to questions over whether the teenager was holding a gun at the time of the shooting as Mr Murphy said, a spokesperson for the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox said in a statement to NBC News 5 Chicago it was an "error".

"An attorney who works in this office failed to fully inform himself before speaking in court," the statement said.

"Errors like that cannot happen and this has been addressed with the individual involved. The video speaks for itself."

Body camera and nearby security footage show Adam running from police before stopping and turning with his hands in the air moments before being shot. Police claim a 9MM Ruger was found alongside a fence a short distance from where Adam was shot. A firearm is seen on the video footage released.

The shooting on 29 March came after police say they responded to alerts of shots fired around 2:37 am in the 2300 block of South Sawyer.

Adam and 21-year-old Ruben Roman allegedly fled from police, who gave chase before shooting the 13-year-old boy was shot in the chest, according to the police reports.

Chicago Police Chief of Detectives, Brendan Deenihan, said about one second elapsed between the time Adam began turning toward the officer and when the fatal shots were fired, according to CBS Chicago.