Tensions erupted outside a Chicago police station as Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists confronted law enforcement officers following the release of a video depicting a fatal encounter involving a black man.
Dexter Reed, aged 26, lost his life during a traffic stop that escalated into a dramatic exchange of gunfire, leaving an officer injured. Authorities assert that Reed initiated the confrontation.
On Tuesday, Chicago Police unveiled footage from the March 21 incident, revealing officers firing 96 shots at Reed, even as he lay motionless on the ground beside his vehicle.
The tragic demise of the aspiring broadcaster has reignited discussions regarding the disproportionate use of force by police against black individuals, although law enforcement officials contend that Reed initiated gunfire.
In the wake of the video’s release, approximately 100 demonstrators congregated outside Chicago Police Department’s 11th district, obstructing thoroughfares and engaging in altercations with police officers.
“We don’t require armed police officers to enforce seat belt regulations,” one protester declared to the assembly in a video captured by Fox News.
Another protester added, “Dexter Reed’s vehicle had tinted windows, so the claim that they stopped him for seat belt violation doesn’t hold water.”
Police stated that they halted Reed in Humboldt Park for purportedly not wearing a seatbelt.
However, Andrew Stroth, an attorney representing Reed’s family, decried the police stop as “unconstitutional,” alleging that the plainclothes officers failed to identify themselves as law enforcement.
Body camera footage depicted a plainclothes tactical unit approaching Reed’s SUV and instructing him to lower his window at gunpoint.
Reed is observed resisting these commands, following which a barrage of gunfire ensues, prompting an immediate exchange of shots from the officers.
Pandemonium ensues, with one officer sustaining injuries to the hand. Several other officers were subsequently hospitalized as a precautionary measure.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability indicated preliminary evidence suggesting that Reed fired the initial shots; however, this remains ambiguous from the footage. A firearm was later discovered on the passenger side of Reed’s vehicle.
Speaking at a press conference preceding the protests on Tuesday, Reed’s mother, Nicole Banks, tearfully addressed the crowd, recounting that her son had purchased the car merely three days before the fatal encounter.
“He was just driving around, and they killed him, they killed him,” she cried out before collapsing.
The incident occurred shortly after Reed had appeared in court on firearms charges, subsequent to allegedly being found in possession of a loaded handgun without a concealed carry license, and following the expiration of his firearms identification.
The circumstances surrounding Reed’s shooting are presently under investigation, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pledging a thorough and transparent inquiry.
On Tuesday, police spokesperson Thomas Ahern affirmed the department’s cooperation with the investigation, stating, “We cannot draw conclusions regarding this shooting until all facts are ascertained and the investigation concludes.”
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced that her office would determine whether the officers’ use of force was justified or warranted criminal charges.
Preceding his demise, Reed had been charged with a misdemeanor count of retail theft in April 2023, an accusation that was later dismissed.
He was apprehended again on July 13, 2023, when law enforcement purportedly discovered him carrying a loaded handgun at a music festival, despite lacking a concealed carry license and following the revocation of his firearm owner’s identification card.