Fox News host Sean Hannity describes Chicago police shooting victim Adam Toledo as a '13-year-old man'
Fox News host Sean Hannity has come under fire for describing Adam Toledo, a Hispanic 7th grader from Chicago who was fatally shot by police last month, as a "13-year-old man."
"We are awaiting the release this hour of Chicago Police bodycam footage that captured the fatal police shooting of a young 13-year-old man by the name of Adam Toledo," the right-wing pundit said on his radio program "The Sean Hannity Show" on Thursday.
"And if social media is any indication, there's a lot of chatter today about possible unrest," he continued, according to Media Matters. "I hope it doesn't happen but with Chicago's track record, every weekend — you know, I guess, you'd have to go with the odds, considering there are dozens and dozens of shootings and killings every weekend in Chicago — that this might not be particularly good."
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Earlier this week, police released body camera footage from Toledo's fatal shooting in Chicago, which happened in the early hours of March 29.
The graphic footage, which Insider analyzed in slow motion, shows police officer Eric Stillman leaving his vehicle, chasing Toledo down an alley, and shouting for him to stop.
Stillman shouts at Toledo to "Show me your f---ing hands," while the 13-year-old drops something from his right hand, raises his two empty hands, and is shot.
The Associated Press and The New York Times also concluded after analyzing the footage that Toledo had appeared to discard a firearm just before he was shot.
Hannity's comments drew intense criticism from several public figures on social media.
"To be fair, Sean Hannity IS a 59-year old child," political and sports commentator Keith Olbermann tweeted.
Mr. Hannity: Adam Toledo was not a “13-year old man.” He was a child.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 15, 2021
You make me ill.
"Mr. Hannity: Adam Toledo was not a 13-year old man.' He was a child," the Star Trek actor and activist George Takei tweeted. "You make me ill."
Others compared Hannity's comments to a moment last year when former Florida attorney Pam Bondi appeared on Fox News and called 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse a "little boy" who was "trying to protect his community."
Rittenhouse stands accused of murdering two people during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August.
Actor Richar Marx tweeted: "In the world of @seanhannity Adam Toledo, unarmed, was a 'thirteen-year-old man' but 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, wielding an AR-15, is just a boy."
In the world of @seanhannity Adam Toledo, unarmed, was a “thirteen year-old man” but 17 year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, wielding an AR-15, is just a boy.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) April 16, 2021
The graphic footage of Toledo's death was released in the same week as the killing of Daunte Wright in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a police officer, sparking a new wave of protests in the city.
Protesters also took to the streets in Chicago, calling for justice for Toledo and transparency from Chicago police and city officials.
Insider reached out to Fox News for comment.