Police fire 96 shots at man accused of shooting officer in arm, body camera video shows

Body camera footage released April 9 shows four Chicago police officers firing 96 shots at a man after officials said he shot an officer in the forearm during a March 21 traffic stop.

Dexter Reed, Jr. was initially pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Officers surrounded his white SUV with their weapons drawn, telling him to “not roll the window up” and to “unlock the doors,” according to body camera footage released by COPA.

Reed ignored their commands, video shows. After a few seconds, the video shows police backing away from the vehicle, yelling “open the door now.” Then, a series of gunshots erupt, according to the video.

According to COPA, Reed fired at police first, shooting one officer in the forearm. Police then fired back approximately 96 times in 41 seconds, COPA said.

Body camera footage shows Reed getting out of his car and falling to the ground as police shot at him. Following the series of gunshots, Reed is seen motionless on the ground as police yelled at him to not move, video shows.

Reed was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to COPA. A gun was recovered from the passenger seat of Reed’s vehicle, COPA said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the exchange “deeply disturbing” in a news conference following the footage’s release April 9.

“As mayor and as a father raising a family, including two Black boys on the West Side of Chicago, I am personally devastated to see yet another young Black man lose his life during an interaction with the police,” Johnson said at the news conference.

Johnson added that the four officers accused of shooting at Reed are on a 30-day administrative leave.

Reed’s family had viewed the footage, according to Johnson.

The Chicago Police Department said it will cooperate with the investigation.

“We cannot make a determination on this shooting until all the facts are known and this investigation has concluded,” the Chicago Police Department said in a statement to McClatchy News.

The shooting has been under investigation since March 21, according to COPA, and the investigation is to continue.

“Each use of deadly force must be evaluated by examining the totality of circumstances, including the officer’s actions prior to the use of force. Accordingly, we will carefully review the actions of the involved police officers and their supervisors to determine whether training, policy and directives were properly followed,” said First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy.

The Chicago Police Department entered into a consent decree in 2019 following the 2014 police shooting of Laquan McDonald, according to ABC7 Chicago. McDonald was a 17-year-old high school student when Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 shots at him and killed him, according to police and the Associated Press. Van Dyke was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.

COPA must review “every police shooting involving (Chicago Police Department) officers,” per the consent decree, COPA said.

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