CHICAGO — Dexter Reed was shot by police 13 times following a traffic stop on the West Side last month, according to a Sun-Times report.
Reed, 26, was killed in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand Street on March 21. Reed shot at officers first, hitting one in his forearm, before officers returned fire nearly 100 times, according the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The shootout, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, was captured on police body cam footage.
An autopsy report obtained Thursday by the Sun-Times showed that of the nearly 100 shots officers fired, 13 hit Reed.
Tom Schuba of the Sun-Times reports:
Reed was struck four times in his buttocks and twice in his chest, right thigh and right leg, according to an autopsy report released Thursday by the Cook County medical examiner’s office through an open records request. He was also hit in his back, left shoulder and left knee.
A five-person plainclothes tactical team pulled over Reed for not wearing a seat belt, a move that’s been questioned by investigators. Reed fired a gun as police shouted at him to roll down the windows to his SUV, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Police then shot at Reed 96 times in 41 seconds, according to the police watchdog. At least one officer fired at Reed as he laid “motionless” on the ground, according to the watchdog leader. A law enforcement source previously told Block Club that Reed fired his weapon 11 times.
The shooting sparked national outrage and debate over the police’s use of deadly force and reliance on traffic stops. The videos show officers reloading their guns.
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday morning, Reed’s family alleges the officers targeted him in a “predatory, violent, unlawful traffic stop.”
The lawsuit alleges the tactical unit in the West Side’s 11th District violated numerous laws and department policies while pulling over Reed for the alleged seat belt violation.
Officers escalated the situation by pointing their guns “in a threatening manner” and cursing at Reed while dressed in plain clothes instead of police uniforms, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also claims police used excessive, deadly force as an initial measure rather than a last resort, handcuffed Reed without first assessing his need for life-sustaining aid and failed to provide him medical attention.
Videos show officers performed chest compressions on Reed after he had been handcuffed and was lying in the street, bleeding, for some time.
“The initial stop was unlawful and pretextual. Defendant Officers had no reasonable suspicion that Dexter violated any law, and they falsely stated otherwise in official CPD reports,” according to the lawsuit. “The officers acted pursuant to CPD’s longstanding and systemic unlawful policies and practices.”
Pro-law enforcement officials, including Police Supt. Larry Snelling, have criticized the city’s police watchdog for quickly releasing information on the case and sitting for interviews before completing more of its investigation.
In response last week, Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Andrea Kersten said her agency has followed usual procedure and those critiques “smack of hypocrisy.”
Reed wrote in social media posts that he was struggling to find himself after the end of his college basketball career. He was facing felony gun charges and had untreated mental health breakdowns, according to the Sun-Times.
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