Prosecutor placed on leave following comments about Adam Toledo

A Chicago prosecutor was placed on leave Saturday after he claimed in a court hearing this month that Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy fatally shot by police, had a gun in his possession. 

In an April bond hearing for 21-year-old Ruben Roman, a man who was with Toledo on the night that he died, Assistant State’s Atty. James Murphy appeared to claim that the boy had a gun on him. 

Following news of the comment, a spokesperson for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said Thursday that the prosecutor did not “fully inform himself” before testifying. 

“An attorney who works in this office failed to fully inform himself before speaking in court,” the spokesperson said. 

“Errors like that cannot happen and this has been addressed with the individual involved. The video speaks for itself,” they continued.

On Saturday, the Cook County office took their actions a step further after Sarah Sinovic, a spokeswomen for the prosecutor, confirmed to The Hill that Murphy had been placed on leave. 

“In court last week, an attorney in our office failed to fully present the facts surrounding the death of a 13-year-old boy,” Sinovic said. 

“We have put that individual on leave and are conducting an internal investigation into the matter,” she continued. 

Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) released body camera footage on Thursday afternoon. The footage showed a police officer chasing Toledo. 

When the officer finally caught up to the boy, Toledo turned around and raised his hands in the surrender pose. At this point, police claim that they saw the 13-year-old holding a gun, though it was not immediately clear in the video. 

The officer, Eric Stillman, can be heard yelling at Toledo to drop the weapon twice before shooting the boy in the chest. 

Updated 9:01 p.m.