The Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots networks, released the following statement responding to the video and subsequent reports of the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Little Village, Illinois on March 29. Police had claimed that there was an "armed confrontation" and prosecutors said the boy was holding a gun when the officer shot him. Video released by the city today shows Toledo had his hands up when he was shot and shows no indication that Toledo was holding a gun when he was shot. According to the Chicago Tribune, Toledo is the youngest person to be fatally shot by the Chicago police in years.
"We're heartbroken," said Valerie Burgest, Senior Survivor Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network and Illinois Moms Demand Action chapter lead whose son, Craig Williams, was shot and killed in 2013. "Adam Toledo will never have the chance to grow up, a chance cut short by someone supposed to protect and serve. We refuse to accept police violence as normal, and we join Adam's family and the community in demanding a full investigation."
Latinx people are twice as likely to be killed in a gun homicide as white people and are also more likely to be fatally shot by police. Black people in the United States are nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by law enforcement than their white counterparts, and data from Mapping Police Violence shows that most people killed by police are killed with guns and that 99% of killings by the police from 2013-2019 did not result in officers being charged with a crime.
About Everytown for Gun Safety
Everytown for Gun Safety is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly six million supporters and more than 375,000 donors including moms, mayors, survivors, students, and everyday Americans who are fighting for common-sense gun safety measures that can help save lives. Learn more at www.everytown.org and follow us @Everytown.
About Moms Demand Action
Moms Demand Action is the nation's largest grassroots volunteer network working to end gun violence. Moms Demand Action is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization with nearly six million supporters and more than 375,000 donors. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. There is a Moms Demand Action chapter in every state of the country and more than 700 local groups across the country. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org . Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand.
About Students Demand Action
Students Demand Action is a national movement of high school and college-aged volunteers working to end gun violence. Students Demand Action volunteers organize within their schools and communities to educate their peers, register voters, and demand common-sense solutions to this national crisis. Students Demand Action has active volunteers in every state and more than 400 groups across the country. Students Demand Action is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly six million supporters and more than 375,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.studentsdemandaction.org .
