On March 21, 2024, Dexter Reed was shot and killed by officers of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in Humboldt Park, Chicago, United States. Reed fired his gun and injured a police officer during a traffic stop, then police returned fire, discharging over 90 rounds at Reed.[1][2]
Incident[edit]
The shooting occurred after a traffic stop where undercover officers pulled Reed over for not wearing a seat belt. An officer told Reed to roll down the car window and asked Reed what he was doing. Reed initially rolled the car window down, but then rolled it back up, and the officer repeatedly told him not to. The officer also told Reed to unlock the car door. According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), Reed then shot at the officers, which resulted in the officers shooting him in return, firing 96 shots in total in the span of 41 seconds, resulting in Reed's death.[3][4]
A gun was located in the passenger's seat of Reed's vehicle, along with 11 spent bullet casings.[4][5]
Dexter Reed[edit]
Reed had been shot in August 2021, and afterwards suffered PTSD, short-term memory loss, slurred speech, and blindness in one eye.[4] In 2023, Reed was charged with possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID card, and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon; he was on pretrial release at the time of the shooting.[6]
Response[edit]
On April 9, 2024, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, "Shooting a police officer can never be condoned, never excused. I will never stand for that, and neither will the city of Chicago".[7]
CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling said he would not strip the involved officers of their police powers before the investigation.[8]
On April 24, 2024, Reed's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, and the five officers.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Tye, Chris (April 10, 2024). "Why did Dexter Reed traffic stop, shootout with Chicago Police escalate so rapidly?". CBS News. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Levenson, Michael (April 12, 2024). "Fatal Shooting of Driver by Chicago Police Is Under Investigation". The New York Times.
- ^ Tareen, Sophia (April 10, 2024). "Deadly Chicago traffic stop where police fired 96 shots raises serious questions about use of force". Associated Press. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c Quinn, Liam (April 11, 2024). "Videos Show Chicago Police Firing 96 Shots in Less Than 1 Minute During Deadly Traffic Stop". People.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Charles, Sam (April 14, 2024). "Lawsuits filed by Dexter Reed paint picture of a troubled man trying to recover from being shot". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Questions over Dexter Reed traffic stop, CPD use-of-force remain after bodycam video released". NBC. April 10, 2024.
- ^ Schuba, Tom; Main, Frank; Grimm, Andy; Washburn, Kaitlin (April 9, 2024). "Watchdog chief questions whether Chicago cops lied about why they stopped Dexter Reed before killing him in exchange of gunfire". Chicago Sun Times.
- ^ Franza, Sabrina; Terry, Jermont (April 12, 2024). "Chicago police superintendent says officers in Dexter Reed shooting won't be stripped of police powers for now". CBS News.
- ^ Levenson, Eric (April 25, 2024). "Family of Chicago man fatally shot by police files federal civil rights lawsuit against city and tactical officers".
