CHICAGO (AP), A Chicago police officer shot and killed a man who was allegedly in a relationship with a 13 year-old girl shortly before the shooting. The suspect pleaded not guilty Wednesday.Michael Oppenheimer, the defense attorney, made the not-guilty plea for Ruben Romans' behalf during a hearing before Charles Burns, Cook County Circuit Judge.Roman, 21 years old, was arrested in May on three counts each of unlawful weapon use and recklessly discharged firearm. Roman was also charged with child endangerment, which were not included in the charges.After the Cook County States Attorneys Office determined that incorrect information about the shooting was recorded in the court records, the child endangerment case was dropped.The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released surveillance video that shows Roman shooting at a vehicle passing him on March 29th, while Adam Toledo was standing nearby.Prosecutors claim that Roman fled the area shortly afterward with Toledo, and officers pursued them down an alleyway. Roman was first arrested. Video of the shooting shows that Toledo continued to run.Roman is now free to wear an ankle monitor while he awaits trial. A charitable bond fund paid $40,000 bail and stated that they believed the city was using Roman as a scapegoat in the Toledo killing.After the release of the video of Toledos' shooting by the Chicago Police Department on Thursday, peaceful protests continued for several days. The Chicago Police Department has been criticized by protestors for its long history of misconduct, especially in Black and Latino communities. They also demanded justice for Adam, who is Latino. Stillman is white.
