Instances of police brutality, including kidnappings, assaults, beatings, evidence tampering, and fatal shootings, have been extensively covered by BOSSIP. The case of Dexter Reed, a 26-year-old who was fatally shot by Chicago police officers, is particularly concerning and raises serious questions about the excessive use of force.
On March 21, Reed was pulled over by plainclothes Chicago Police Department officers for not wearing a seatbelt, as reported by AP News. According to the police, the situation escalated when Reed allegedly did not comply with their commands. The initial police investigation claims that Reed fired a weapon, prompting the officers to respond with a total of 96 rounds, with one officer firing 50 shots even after Reed was already on the ground and motionless.
This incident raises concerns about the excessive use of force, drawing parallels to previous cases like the killing of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police.
The body camera video from the traffic stop involving Reed has been made public.
In a recent emotional interview with CNN, Dexter’s sister Porscha Banks and his mother Nicole Banks shared their devastation over the loss of their loved one.
The Chicago Office of Police Accountability (COPA) expressed grave concerns in a letter to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling regarding the officers’ conduct, highlighting the potential threat they posed to the community.
According to AP News:
“Based on the totality of the available evidence, COPA has grave concerns about the officers’ ability to assess what is a necessary, reasonable, and proportional use of deadly force,” COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten wrote in an April 1 letter obtained through a records request.
All officers involved in the incident are currently on 30-day administrative leave while COPA and the Cook County state’s attorney conduct a thorough investigation. Activists and police protocol experts are questioning the visibility of Reed not wearing a seatbelt, especially with heavily tinted windows, and why plainclothes officers were focused on such a minor violation.
Many questions remain unanswered, but developments will be closely monitored and updates will be provided as they unfold.
