Cops Who Shot At Dexter Reed 96 Times Were Being Investigated For Another Traffic Stop: Watchdog

HUMBOLDT PARK — In a letter to Chicago’s prime cop, the town’s police watchdog company questioned why officers carried out the visitors cease that led to them fatally capturing Dexter Reed final month — and famous they have been already investigating the identical officers for the same cease.

In a letter to Supt. Larry Snelling, Andrea Kersten, Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability chief administrator, raised issues over the rationale officers gave for pulling over Reed final month. The cease, allegedly made for a seat belt violation, led to a shootout that left one officer wounded whereas others fired at Reed practically 100 instances, killing him.

Movies of the capturing have been launched Tuesday.

Kersten stated the incident raised “severe questions in regards to the proportionality of their [officers’] use of lethal drive.”

Within the letter, Kersten requested Snelling to strip 4 of 5 officers concerned of their police powers whereas the accountability company investigates.

Reed was pulled over by tactical officers March 21 within the 3800 block of West Ferdinand Road. Officers stated the lethal encounter started as a result of police stopped Reed for not carrying a seat belt.

Reed shot at officers first, hitting one in his forearm — then 4 officers shot about 96 instances in 41 seconds, in accordance with the oversight company.

Proof gathered by the oversight investigators calls into query the “veracity” of officers’ claims in regards to the seat belt infraction, in accordance with Kersten’s letter. Investigators are unsure how officers would have seen Reed wasn’t carrying a seat belt given their positions and the actual fact Reed’s SUV had tinted home windows, Kersten wrote.

“This proof raises severe issues in regards to the validity of the visitors cease that led to the officers’ encounter with” Reed, in accordance with the letter, obtained by a Freedom of Data Act request.

Movies of the capturing present plainclothes officers pulling over Reed. A number of get out of a automotive and order Reed to roll down his home windows. He rolls his tinted driver’s facet window down.

“What are you doing?” one officer says.

“I’m not doing nothing,” he responds earlier than partially rolling the window again up.

The officer orders Reed to not roll the window up and pulls on the motive force’s door deal with, which is locked.

“Don’t roll the window up, unlock the doorways now!” an officer orders. At the least two officers take out weapons and level them at Reed whereas giving him orders.

“Open the door now! Open the door now!” an officer orders Reed whereas the officers again away, their weapons pointed at Reed.

A neighbor’s surveillance footage of the incident exhibits an officer stroll as much as the passenger facet of the SUV and stand there for a number of moments earlier than pictures are heard and the officer turns again and runs away, taking cowl. Smoke might be seen across the automotive, which strikes ahead. That officer later radioed in that he’d been shot, and his wound might be seen in a number of movies.

Quite a few pictures are then heard as officers hearth and run across the automotive.

Reed drives the automotive ahead a number of instances, hitting one other automotive. He will get out of the motive force’s facet of the automotive and goes to the again; he’s shot and falls to the bottom. At the least one officer continues to shoot at him as he lies on the bottom. They cease and Reed lies, unmoving and bleeding. Officers level their weapons at him and order him to not transfer as he lies nonetheless. One officer says Reed remains to be respiration as officers search for a gun.

Officers put Reed’s palms behind his again and handcuff him. Blood is seen round him on the road. The officers later flip Reed over and carry out chest compressions on him.

As Reed lay immobile on the bottom, one officer shot him three extra instances, Kersten wrote.

The officer who shot Reed whereas he was on the bottom fired at the least 50 rounds, Kersten wrote. Because the incident performed out over 40 seconds, three of 4 officers reloaded their weapons, in accordance with the oversight company.

“Moreover, COPA notes that [it] has an open investigation into one other visitors cease involving the identical 5 officers, which occurred lower than a month previous to this incident and was purportedly additionally based mostly on a seat belt violation,” Kersten wrote within the letter.

Kersten requested “at a minimal” the officer who shot Reed whereas he was down be stripped of police powers, “based mostly on the security danger posed by his conduct through the incident.”

“This offered the officers with ample alternative to reassess the scenario, however they continued to make use of lethal drive,” Kersten wrote to police brass. “Based mostly on the totality of the out there proof, COPA has grave issues in regards to the officers’ skill to evaluate what’s a needed, affordable, and proportional use of lethal drive.”

Block Membership has not named the officers as a result of they haven’t been charged with a criminal offense. The fifth officer, who was wounded within the capturing, shouldn’t be amongst those who police watchdogs are searching for to strip of police powers.

A Police Division spokesperson stated the division is ready for the conclusion of investigations into the capturing earlier than it acts on the case. The officers who have been concerned within the capturing are on 30-day administrative depart, which is normal after use of drive.

“This capturing stays underneath investigation by the Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability (COPA) with the complete cooperation of the Chicago Police Division,” the spokesperson stated. “We can’t make a willpower on this capturing till all of the details are recognized and this investigation has concluded.”

The Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability has 18 months to conclude its administrative investigation into the officers concerned.

Reed’s relations and their attorneys stated they need the officers concerned fired and charged to the very best diploma.

“We wish solutions,” Porscha Banks, Reed’s older sister, stated at a information convention after the video was launched. “They shot at him 96 instances and reloaded. This has to cease. I can’t clarify the ache me and my household are going by.”

Andrew Stroth, one other legal professional for the household, acknowledged Tuesday there was a gun present in Reed’s automotive, however he stated video exhibits Reed obtained out of the automobile unarmed — solely to be shot by officers.

Stroth and the household stated pulling over Reed for not carrying his seat belt was “fully unjustified.”

“We’re asking the Johnson administration to decide to the consent decree,” Stroth stated of the federal mandate for change throughout the Police Division. “And there was a complete lack of compliance within the mayor and police [Supt.] Snelling to disband these tactical items which have been terrorizing communities on the West and South sides.”

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