Chicago mayor calls for a new police foot pursuit policy

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling for her city’s police department to put a new policy in place for foot pursuits after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by police last week.

“I refuse to treat this as just business as usual,” the mayor said during a news conference Monday.

Lightfoot said that a police foot pursuit had led to the deadly shooting and directed the new policy to be implemented by the summer. She did not specify what the policy would include, but said the police department will use focus groups, including officers and community members, in its reform effort.

Around 2:30 a.m. on March 29, a Chicago police officer shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo in what police called an “armed confrontation.”

Officers were responding to a “shots fired” call and saw “two males in a nearby alley.” One of them was armed, according to police, and ran away. One officer fired a shot that hit one person in the chest.

The officer was placed on administrative duty for 30 days, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating. The agency will release video from the officer’s body camera within 60 days, a news release said April 2.

Lightfoot said Monday that the combination of officers often being separated from their partners and facing potentially armed suspects creates a dangerous environment for all involved.

“Foot pursuits present a significant safety issue, officer safety, but also community safety for the pursued and bystanders,” Lightfoot said.

The mayor added that the city has an “obligation” to figure out how the 13-year-old was able to gain possession of a gun.