Killing of Dexter Reed

"Dexter Reed" redirects here. For the movie character, see Good Burger.

Killing of Dexter Reed

Date	March 21, 2024;10 months ago (2024-03-21)
Location	Humboldt Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Type	Homicide by shooting
Deaths	1

On March 21, 2024, Dexter Reed, a 26-year-old African-American man, was shot and killed by officers of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in Humboldt Park, Chicago, United States. Reed fired his illegally owned handgun and injured a police officer during a traffic stop, then police returned fire, discharging a number of rounds at Reed. ^{[1] [2]}

Incident

The shooting occurred after a traffic stop where plainclothes officers pulled Reed over. Police initially stated he was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, but they later said he was pulled over for having illegally-tinted windows. ^[3] An officer told Reed to roll down his car window and asked Reed what he was doing. Reed initially rolled the car window down, but then rolled it back up, and the officer repeatedly told him not to. The officer also told Reed to unlock the car door. According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, Reed then shot at the officers, which resulted in the officers shooting him in return, firing 96 shots in total in the span of 41 seconds. Reed and four of the officers were transported to hospitals for treatment. Reed later died from his wounds. ^{[4] [5]}

A handgun was located in the passenger's seat of Reed's vehicle, along with 11 spent bullet casings. ^{[5] [6]}

Dexter Reed

Reed had been shot in August 2021, and afterwards suffered PTSD, short-term memory loss, slurred speech, and blindness in one eye. ^[5] In 2023, Reed was charged with possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID card, and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon; he was on pretrial release at the time of the shooting. ^[7]

Response

On April 9, 2024, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, "Shooting a police officer can never be condoned, never excused. I will never stand for that, and neither will the city of Chicago". ^[8]

CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling said he would not strip the involved officers of their police powers before the investigation. ^[9]

Civil rights lawsuit and settlement

On April 24, 2024, Reed's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, and the five officers. ^[10] On February 6, 2025, Reed's family accepted an offer from the city of Chicago for a US$1.25 million settlement, which awaits approval from the Chicago City Council. ^{[11] [12]}

References

1. Tye, Chris (April 10, 2024). "Why did Dexter Reed traffic stop, shootout with Chicago Police escalate so rapidly?". CBS News . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
2. Levenson, Michael (April 12, 2024). "Fatal Shooting of Driver by Chicago Police Is Under Investigation". The New York Times.
3. "City says Dexter Reed was stopped by Chicago police for tinted windows, contradicting earlier claim". ABC 7. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
4. Tareen, Sophia (April 10, 2024). "Deadly Chicago traffic stop where police fired 96 shots raises serious questions about use of force". Associated Press . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
5. Quinn, Liam (April 11, 2024). "Videos Show Chicago Police Firing 96 Shots in Less Than 1 Minute During Deadly Traffic Stop". People.com . Retrieved April 12, 2024.
6. Charles, Sam (April 14, 2024). "Lawsuits filed by Dexter Reed paint picture of a troubled man trying to recover from being shot". Chicago Tribune.
7. "Questions over Dexter Reed traffic stop, CPD use-of-force remain after bodycam video released". NBC. April 10, 2024.
8. Schuba, Tom; Main, Frank; Grimm, Andy; Washburn, Kaitlin (April 9, 2024). "Watchdog chief questions whether Chicago cops lied about why they stopped Dexter Reed before killing him in exchange of gunfire". Chicago Sun Times.
9. Franza, Sabrina; Terry, Jermont (April 12, 2024). "Chicago police superintendent says officers in Dexter Reed shooting won't be stripped of police powers for now". CBS News.
10. Levenson, Eric (April 25, 2024). "Family of Chicago man fatally shot by police files federal civil rights lawsuit against city and tactical officers".
11. "Dexter Reed's family to get $1.25 million in proposed settlement;$27 million for woman hit in police chase". Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
12. Flosi, Nic (February 6, 2025). "Dexter Reed shooting: Chicago reaches tentative $1.25M settlement with man's family after fatal gunfight". Fox Chicago 32.