<p>CHICAGO — A young man who was with a 13-year-old boy fatally shot by a Chicago police officer last month fired the rounds that drew the officer’s attention, prosecutors said Saturday.</p>
<p>Ruben Roman, 21, is seen on video firing the weapon that brought police to the Little Village neighborhood on the night of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-police-chicago-89676e9ffc053c1146041dc9dec5fd77">March 29</a>. He and 13-year-old Adam Toledo fled the scene together, with officers in pursuit, prosecutors said.</p>
<p>Roman was arrested as another officer chased Toledo, who was holding a gun when the officer shot him, prosecutors said. That gun matched the spent cartridge casings that were found in the area where Roman was firing, prosecutors said.</p>
<p>“If the defendant does not bring the 13-year-old with him, if he doesn’t bring his gun with him while on gun offender probation, if he doesn’t shoot that gun seven to eight times on a city street with the victim standing in arms length of him while he’s firing those shots … none of it would have happened,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said in court, the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-adam-toledo-ruben-roman-custody-20210410-gml2yic2vfa23exyhzsdsmzurq-story.html">Chicago Tribune </a> reported.</p>
<p>Roman’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood, vigorously rejected the implication that Roman is responsible for Toledo’s death, noting that the gun was allegedly recovered from Toledo.</p>
<p>“The victim is dead at the hand of the Chicago police officers, not my client,” she said, calling Toledo’s death “tragic.”</p>
<p>Roman was ordered held on $150,000 bond on charges of child endangerment and gun possession.</p>
