A Black man loses his life on a Chicago street following an incident where law enforcement officers discharge nearly 100 rounds of ammunition due to a seatbelt violation.
CHICAGO — On the late afternoon of March 21, Sheila Banks witnessed a tragic event as her son, Dexter Reed, prepared to drive his new SUV. “Mom, I’m going for a ride,” she recalled Reed saying.
The day ended with the fatal shooting of Reed, 26, by Chicago police officers on a residential corner. According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), the agency responsible for overseeing the city’s police force, the officers discharged nearly 100 rounds in less than a minute.
The officers claimed they had pulled Reed over for not wearing a seatbelt. However, COPA has raised concerns about this assertion, adding to the growing tension surrounding the incident and the officers’ use of deadly force in recent weeks.
In the released footage of the shooting on Tuesday, the police accountability board stated that Reed “appears” to have fired the first shot. Attorneys representing the family argue that a more comprehensive investigation must be conducted. They also assert that the traffic stop was unconstitutional and that Chicago police have previously used seatbelt violations as a pretext for confrontational encounters with drivers.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, they alleged that Reed was unarmed and attempting to surrender when he was killed.
Andrew M. Stroth, a prominent local civil rights attorney representing Reed’s family, stated, “If you observe the end of the video, you witness an officer, in a military-style manner, executing Dexter while he lies by his vehicle, defenseless and unarmed.”
City officials, including Mayor Brandon Johnson and State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, expressed their condolences over Reed’s death but have not indicated whether charges will be filed against the officers involved.
This shooting incident is the most recent in a city with a longstanding history of controversies surrounding police killings of men of color.
96 shots were fired in 41 seconds
The shooting transpired on the evening of March 21, after five undercover officers in an unmarked vehicle pulled Reed over on a residential corner in Chicago’s West Side.
In the recently released bodycam footage, Reed can be seen driving a white SUV with heavily tinted windows and dents along its side. A female officer instructs him to lower his window, and he complies. Reed’s expression is partially obscured by a black ski mask, but his eyes appear wide.
However, Reed refuses to lower other windows or unlock his doors, escalating the situation.
Officials stated that Reed initiated gunfire, injuring one of the officers, although the bodycam footage does not clearly indicate who fired the first shot.
According to the accountability board, the officers fired at Reed 96 times in a span of 41 seconds.The bodycam footage reveals an officer discharging his firearm multiple times at Reed. It is challenging to determine from the video whether Reed had his hands raised or not. Even after Reed collapses and becomes motionless, the officer continues to shoot, as depicted in the bodycam video. In the video, another officer can be heard mentioning that Reed’s gun is still in the car.
The reason for Reed carrying a gun remains unclear. According to Cook County court records, he was awaiting trial in a case related to firearm possession. An officer who sustained an arm injury during the exchange of gunfire is reported to be in good condition, according to officials.
Concerns raised by Chicago’s police watchdog
In a recent correspondence, Andrea Kersten, the director of the accountability board, has expressed doubts about the truthfulness of the officers involved in Reed’s shooting and questioned the appropriateness of their response. She has recommended that the officers have their police powers revoked while the board conducts an investigation.
Still, the board has obtained a letter by USA TODAY through a freedom of information request, where Kersten states that the board is “uncertain” about how the officers were able to observe Reed’s undone seat belt considering the tinted windows of his car and its position relative to the unmarked police vehicle.
“This evidence raises significant concerns about the legitimacy of the traffic stop that led to the officers’ encounter,” Kersten wrote to Chicago’s top police official.
Moreover, she has expressed serious doubts about the officers’ use of lethal force in response to Reed’s reported gunfire.
“The evidence collected after the incident indicates that all four officers fired their weapons at Reed once he exited his vehicle and was unarmed,” Kersten stated.
She specifically highlighted one officer who fired at Reed over 50 times, even when he was “motionless.”
According to Kersten, the board “has grave concerns about the officers’ ability to determine what constitutes a necessary, reasonable, and proportionate use of deadly force.”
News Source:USA Today