Overview
- Proceedings began Monday under Cook County Law Division Presiding Judge Thomas Lyons as lawyers set ground rules for what jurors will hear, with jury selection expected next week and opening statements on April 20.
- In March 2021, Officer Eric Stillman chased the 13-year-old after a ShotSpotter gunfire alert and fired once less than a second, measured at about 838 milliseconds, after Toledo dropped a handgun.
- Footage from a body camera and a nearby surveillance camera frames a tight window, with one slowed frame showing a gun just before Toledo turned and the body-cam showing his raised hands appearing empty as the shot was fired.
- The family’s lawsuit claims Stillman ignored foot-pursuit training and used excessive force, and their lawyer has sought punitive damages, moved to bar the city’s use-of-force expert, and plans about 90 witnesses with some evidence not seen before.
- Chicago’s watchdog said the force was not proportional and recommended Stillman be fired, prosecutors declined criminal charges in 2022, and the police department later limited foot pursuits to cases with a clear need to detain.