Angry BLM activists clashed with police outside a Chicago police station after video was released showing a fatal shooting of a black man by an officer.
Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a traffic stop that erupted into a large shooting that also injured an officer and that police say was started by Reed.
On Tuesday, Chicago police released footage of the March 21 encounter that showed them firing 96 shots at Reed, even as he lay motionless on the ground outside his vehicle.
The aspiring broadcaster’s death has reignited conversations about police use of excessive force against black people, although officers maintain that Reed opened fire first.
Shortly after the footage was released, around 100 protesters gathered in front of CPD’s 11th Precinct, blocking streets and jostling with police.
Angry BLM activists clashed with police outside a Chicago police station after video was released showing a fatal shooting of a black man by an officer.
Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a traffic stop that erupted into a large shooting that also injured an officer and that police say Reed initiated.
Chicago police released footage of the March 21 encounter that showed them firing 96 shots at Reed, even as he lay motionless on the ground outside his vehicle.
“We don’t need armed police officers telling someone to put on a seat belt,” one protester told the crowd in a video captured by Fox.
“Dexter Reed’s vehicle had tinted windows, so the argument that they were enforcing seat belt laws makes no sense,” another added.
Police said they stopped Reed in Humboldt Park for allegedly not wearing a seat belt.
But Andrew Stroth, an attorney for Reed’s family, called the police stop “unconstitutional,” alleging that the plainclothes officers did not announce that they were police officers.
Body camera footage showed a plainclothes tactical unit approaching Reed’s truck and ordering him to roll down the window with guns drawn.
Reed is seen resisting orders to roll down his window. Suddenly a burst of gunshots is heard and the officers immediately return fire.
Chaos ensues and at one point one of the police officers is hit on the hand. Several more police officers were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said preliminary evidence showed Reed shot first, however, this is not clear from the footage. A gun was later recovered from the passenger side of Reed’s vehicle.
Dexter Reed, center, along with his mother Nicole Banks and sister Porsche Banks in 2019
Activists seized on the death as another example of racist police brutality, with lawyers for Reed’s family calling the stop by plainclothes police “unconstitutional.”
Reed, 26, died following a traffic stop on March 21 after police stopped him in Humboldt Park for allegedly not wearing a seat belt.
At a news conference before Tuesday’s protests, Reed’s mother, Nicole Banks, told the crowd that her son had purchased his car just three days before the deadly traffic stop.
“He was walking around and they killed him, they killed him,” he whimpered before collapsing to the ground.
The incident came just days after Reed appeared in court on firearms charges after officers allegedly caught him carrying a loaded handgun without a concealed carry license and after his firearms ID had expired. .
His shooting is currently under investigation and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has promised a full and transparent investigation.
On Tuesday, police spokesman Thomas Ahern said the department was cooperating with the investigation.
“We cannot make a decision about this shooting until all the facts are known and this investigation is concluded,” he said.
State Attorney Kim Foxx said her office will determine whether the officers’ use of force was justified or required criminal charges.
Before his death, Reed has been charged with misdemeanor retail theft in April 2023 for allegedly stealing a $950 shirt before the charge was dropped.
He was arrested again on July 13, 2023 when police allegedly caught him carrying a loaded handgun at a music festival despite not having a concealed carry license and after having his firearms owner’s identification card revoked. .