The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released video footage Tuesday that shows a group of Chicago police officers firing dozens of bullets at a man during an ill-fated traffic stop last month in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
That man, 26-year-old Dexter Reed, was killed in “an exchange of gunfire” shortly after 6 p.m. on March 21 in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand, according to COPA and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Video released Tuesday shows a team of five CPD tactical officers surround the white SUV driven by Reed after he was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. The officers, with weapons drawn, repeatedly order him to roll down the vehicle’s windows, but Reed appeared to ignore their commands.
After a few tense seconds, gunfire erupts, and a CPD officer standing on the SUV’s passenger side was shot in the wrist. COPA said it was Reed who fired first.
Dozens more rounds were fired by the officers in the next 30 seconds. After he’s shot, Reed can be seen falling out of the vehicle and officers continued to shoot him as he lies motionless in the street. All told, four CPD officers fired 96 rounds during the exchange, COPA said.
COPA said a gun was recovered in the SUV’s front passenger seat.
Mayor Brandon Johnson described the video of the shooting as “deeply disturbing footage” during an impromptu news conference convened at City Hall.
“I know this footage is extremely painful and traumatic for many of our city’s residents. It will be especially difficult for those of us living in communities where the events depicted occur all too often,” said Johnson, a progressive whose mayoral campaign heavily touched on fighting police brutality.
Flanked by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, the mayor continued, “As mayor and as a father raising a family, including two Black boys on the west side of Chicago, I’m personally devastated to see yet another young black man, lose his life during an interaction with the police.”
Johnson said he called Reed’s family this weekend and also visited the officer wounded in the shootout and said “both Dexter Reed and this officer could have been my students.”
“If that bullet had hit him a few inches in a different direction, I would be here today talking about the loss of another Black man,” Johnson said about the CPD officer who was wounded.
Chicago police issued a statement earlier Tuesday.
“This shooting remains under investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) with the full cooperation of the Chicago Police Department,” the statement read. “We cannot make a determination on this shooting until all the facts are known and this investigation has concluded.”
It was not known how many times Reed was shot. A representative for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s officer told the Tribune on Monday — 18 days after his death — that Reed’s autopsy was not yet finalized.
Johnson was joined at his press conference by COPA chief administrator Andrea Kersten, who noted that Reed appeared to fire his gun first, wounding one of the officers, before four cops total shot back about 96 times.
“These are incredibly painful and complex incidents that often garner considerable public attention, but at their core they most impact the lives of those directly involved and their loved ones,” Kersten said. “My hope today is that we can provide facts about the processes.”
Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx at the same availability did not indicate whether criminal charges seemed likely but spoke broadly about her “unwavering” commitment to finding justice for all parties.
“We are aware of the community’s need for answers and the desire for swiftness,” Foxx, who chose not to seek a third time this year. “Let me assure you that our pursuit of justice will be relentless, guided by the facts, grounded in evidence and the law. However, and I must stress, it is equally important that we allow the investigative process the time it needs to ensure that its findings are beyond reproach.”
Reed’s family viewed the footage Monday with representatives from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, according to attorney Andrew M. Stroth. Reed’s family will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address the shooting.
Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling took part in a question session with members of the public at police headquarters Monday evening. The first two questions posed to him — one from activist Miracle Boyd — both addressed the impending release of the Reed shooting video.
After the shooting, Snelling said, he immediately ordered CPD’s Incident Response Team to collect all video footage of the shooting so that the entire sequence can be seen in context.
“What you’re getting right now is people posting things in social media without all the facts,” Snelling said. “What I’m not going to do is sit here and frame everybody’s mind about what is going to be in that video when it comes out because you’re an intelligent woman (Boyd) and I know you can make your own decisions when you look at that video. But it’s not the things that you’ve been told. There were things that were omitted. Are there issues? There are always issues. There was a loss of life.”
A week after Reed’s death, his family wrote a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling detailing Reed’s personal life and requesting they be allowed to view video footage of the shooting.
“Dexter was the second oldest of three children,” his family wrote. “He has an older sister Porscha and younger brother Julius. Dexter played basketball at Westinghouse College Prep High School and led the team to a regional championship in 2016. After high school, Dexter went to school and played basketball at Morton College. While Dexter enjoyed basketball, he aspired to one day become a sports broadcaster. Dexter’s favorite artist was Jay-Z. Dexter also liked to eat vegetables and cooking baked beans. He was affectionately known to our family, friends and coaches as ‘Dex.’”
Without casting blame on either Reed or responding officers, Johnson at his press conference stressed the importance of “building trust” between communities and the police.
“It will not be easy. But we will not rest,” Johnson said. “And the only way we can build trust is through accountability. We will not rest until that accountability has been met.”
As his remarks ended, Johnson commented on the balance city leaders must seek in such instances.
“Shooting a police officer can never be condoned. … I will never stand for that, and neither will the city of Chicago,” Johnson said. “We also have to be very clear that we hold our police to the highest of standards. As agents of the law, they have the highest responsibility to the communities in which they serve. As a government, as representatives of the people, we have an obligation to abide by the rule of the law and to follow procedures, and that is what we are ultimately doing here.”
Dexter Reed (5), playing for Westinghouse, center, looks to pass the ball away from Hyde Park Academy’s DaQuan Fairley (11) during the second half of their game at Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago on Feb. 6, 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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