Luis Gutierrez on the tragic case of Adam Toledo

 I heard Luis Gutierrez on the radio today and I may disagree with his take on the Adam Toledo case. Toledo was 13-years-old one very late nite when he was shot by a police officer. I've yet to see the actually video - I really don't like watching anyone's death in real time with very few exceptions - the screen caps I've seen showed him holding a gun and ultimately ditching the gun before his death. It would be easy to say the police acted reasonably as in did the officer see Toledo throw the gun away. It could also be said that Toledo at 13 probably wasn't mature enough to understand the gravity of what was going on.

Gutierrez is right though a gang member preyed upon Toledo. That gang member likely did something with that gun and in order to evade accountability gave Toledo his gun. Toledo was a troubled youth and I learned through Gutierrez that he had a learning disability and the education system failed him. Never fear the 21-year-old gang member was also caught and had a bail hearing this month.

Anyway the Sun-Times got some of Gutierrez a former longtime US Congressman and his criticism of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx

Former congressman Luis Gutierrez slammed Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Sunday for failing to review video footage showing the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo before a top deputy offered an erroneous account of the shooting during a court hearing earlier this month.

“That’s not acceptable,” Gutierrez said, calling out Foxx during a news conference at Daley Plaza. “Shame on you. How could you not have seen that video?”

Gutierrez went on to say he was “disappointed” in Foxx’s “explanation of the misleading description propagated by one of your top lieutenants” — an apparent reference to statements Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy made during an April 10 bail hearing for 21-year-old Ruben Roman, who was with Adam before the fatal shooting and arrested at the scene.

During the hearing, Murphy said Adam was holding a gun a moment before he was shot in the chest by a Chicago police officer early March 29. But bodycam video released days after the hearing showed that Adam apparently dropped a handgun and raised his hands right before a single bullet struck him.

Gutierrez said Foxx’s office’s initial description of the video footage effectively “muzzled” him and other community members.

“I would’ve spoken out earlier. I would’ve reached out,” Gutierrez said. “But you know what I thought? I said, the kid had a gun. He pointed it at the police officer.”

“And then I saw the video,” he added. “I didn’t see a gun. What I saw was a frightened 13-year-old kid getting shot by a police officer.”

And as the article goes on, there are parallels between what happened with Laquan McDonald and Adam Toledo. The McDonald case helped Foxx's predecessor Anita Alvarez lose her office in 2016 and ushered in the Foxx era at the State's Attorney Office. We have a few years before Foxx face the voters again as she just got re-elected in 2020, however, will this very tragic and sad case of this very troubled teen boy still be on the minds of voters in 2024.

Just for the hell of it, perhaps this news story from our local CBS affiliate regarding Gutierrez's comments will shed some light. [VIDEO]