Furious BLM activists have clashed with cops outside a Chicago police station after a video was released showing a deadly officer-involved shooting of a black man.
Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a traffic stop which erupted into a huge shootout also injuring an officer and which cops say Reed started.
On Tuesday, Chicago Police released footage of the March 21 encounter which 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 around excessive police force against black people, though officers maintain Reed opened fire first.
Shortly after the footage was released, around 100 protesters gathered outside CPD’s 11th district, blocking the streets and jostling with police.
Furious BLM activists have clashed with cops outside a Chicago police station after a video was released showing a deadly officer-involved shooting of a black man
Dexter Reed, 26, was killed during a traffic stop which erupted into a huge shootout also injuring an officer and which cops say Reed started
Chicago Police released footage of the March 21 encounter which 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 to tell someone to put their seat belt on,’ 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 doesn’t make sense,’ another added.
Police said they pulled Reed over in Humboldt Park for allegedly not wearing a seatbelt.
But Andrew Stroth, an attorney for Reed’s family, branded the police stop ‘unconstitutional’, claiming the plainclothes cops did not announce they were police.
Bodycam footage showed a plain clothes tactical unit approaching Reed’s SUV and ordering him to roll his window down with their weapons drawn.
Reed is seen resisting orders to roll down his window. Suddenly a volley of shots is heard and the officers immediately return fire.
Chaos ensues and at one point one of the cops is hit in the hand. Several other police were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said preliminary evidence showed Reed fired 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 Porscha Banks in 2019
Activists seized on the death as another example of racist police brutality, with lawyers for Reed’s family branding the stop by plain clothes police ‘unconstitutional’
Reed, 26, was killed following a traffic stop on March 21 after police pulled him over in Humboldt Park for allegedly failing to wear a seatbelt
At a press conference before the protests on Tuesday, Reed’s mom Nicole Banks told the crowd her son had bought his car just three days before the deadly traffic stop.
‘He was just riding around and they killed him, they killed him,’ she wailed before collapsing to the ground.
The incident came just days after Reed had appeared in court on fire arms charges after cops allegedly discovered him carrying a loaded handgun without a concealed carry license and after his firearms identification had expired.
His shooting is currently being probed, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowing to conduct a full and transparent investigation.
On Tuesday, police spokesperson Thomas Ahern said the department was cooperating with the investigation.
‘We cannot make a determination on this shooting until all the facts are known and this investigation has concluded,’ he said.
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her office will determine whether the officers’ use of force was warranted or necessitated criminal charges.
Prior to his death, Reed has been charged with a misdemeanor count of retail theft in April 2023 for allegedly stealing a $950 shirt before the charge was tossed.
He was arrested again on July 13, 2023 when police allegedly discovered him carrying a loaded handgun at a music festival despite having no concealed carry license and after his firearm owners identification card had been revoked.