One fleeting moment. What can transpire in that brief instant? The tragic death of Adam Thomas.
Adam Thomas, a 13-year-old middle school student from Chicago, lost his life to police violence in a split second on March 29th. His passing has dominated the news: “Chicago Police Release Footage of Officer Shooting Boy,” “Understanding the Police Shooting of Adam Thomas,” “Remembering Adam Thomas.” So many headlines echo similar themes, and it begins to feel alarmingly routine. However, we must resist normalizing this. When we encounter these stories, we must recognize that there is a grave problem at hand. Adam Thomas should still be alive.
Reports indicate that Adam was seen “holding a firearm” during the encounter with law enforcement. Prosecutors claimed gun residue was found on his hand. Initially, they asserted that Adam had discharged his weapon at the police — a claim that was ultimately proven false upon the release of body-cam footage. Yet, irrespective of whether he had a gun during the confrontation, nothing could justify the police shooting him.
When I learned that the police bodycam footage was set to be released, I resolved not to watch it. After witnessing the harrowing evidence and testimonies in the Derek Chauvin trial, I could hardly bear to see another video capturing the moment a life was extinguished. But I did watch it.
I was unprepared for the visuals, just as I was unprepared for the murder of George Floyd. I watched the footage several times, tears streaming down my face, repeatedly questioning: What transpired?
A 21-year-old named Marcus Reed was apprehended at the scene, shirtless and panting, taken into custody at 2:45 AM. Meanwhile, police attempted to revive Adam, who lay lifeless on the ground. A mother will never hold her child again, and an entire community is mourning.
Once again, we find ourselves grappling as a nation with the death of a person of color at the hands of law enforcement. Did the officers pause to consider their actions? Did they contemplate the consequences of discharging their weapons? Were they aware they were employing lethal force against a middle school child?
As I viewed the video, what struck me was the image of a child — a boy who complied with orders, who stopped, turned, and froze, only to hear the sound of the officer’s gun firing.
The police union’s attorney, Timothy Grace, spoke on behalf of Officer Stillman at a press conference, stating: “The juvenile had a handgun in his right hand, was given verbal orders, told to drop and stop, and began to turn.”
“At that moment, the officer had no cover or concealment; he felt he had no other option. He is devastated by the outcome; no officer wants to resort to deadly force in the line of duty,” he said.
I am struck by a particular phrase in his statement: No officer wants to use deadly force in the line of duty. However, they do. They do use deadly force, and they are disproportionately killing Black and Brown individuals at alarming rates.
In the footage, one can hear the officer’s voice shift after the shots are fired. He sounds frightened, hastily calls for an ambulance, and attempts to administer CPR. But it is too late. His actions have already led to Adam Thomas’s death. Adam, a child, was declared dead at 2:46 AM.
Again and again, we witness such tragedies. We continue to discuss them, yet nothing changes. Police often resort to excessive force that frequently results in fatalities. Officers act first and think later, and this order must be reversed. Officer Stillman faced a decision. The critical question he needed to ask was: Do I want to kill this child? If he had chosen differently, Adam would be here today.
I voiced my outrage after the deaths of George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Daunte Wright — we should all feel this indignation. This should resonate with all of us. Our nation is facing a crisis as severe as COVID-19, with lives being lost senselessly every day. Racism is also a pandemic. Black and Brown lives matter, but when will law enforcement truly acknowledge that?
To law enforcement, will you save a life next time? Will you, as a police officer, call for backup and maintain your composure? Will you recognize that every life holds value?
We require officers who will consistently make the right decisions. Our lives depend on it, and so do the lives of our children.
For more insights on this topic, check out another one of our blog posts that dives deeper into related issues. Also, if you’re looking for authoritative information on home insemination, visit this resource. For those interested in pregnancy and donor insemination, this excellent resource is highly recommended.