(USNewsMag.com) – On April 9th, Chicago police released the bodycam footage from a fatal traffic altercation in March that left Dexter Reed, 26, dead.
The footage shows that the plainclothes officers who pulled Reed over fired close to 100 shots in 41 seconds.
Officers in an unmarked police car pulled Reed over in Humboldt Park on March 21st for allegedly failing to wear a seatbelt. The video shows Reed rolling down the window of his vehicle before rolling it back up and refusing to exit his vehicle as five police officers scream commands while drawing their weapons.
In a statement, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability said preliminary evidence shows Reed fired a shot at one officer first before the shootout, with 96 rounds fired over 41 seconds, began. The video footage shows Reed exiting his vehicle and falling on the ground face-down near his vehicle’s passenger side tire. Police tell Reed, “Don’t f—ing move!” as they handcuff him, and he is seen not moving.
More officers and an ambulance arrive at the scene, and one officer says, “He started shooting at us,” while another officer states that he cannot locate the gun. Police did eventually recover a gun from the passenger seat of Reed’s vehicle.
Though all of the video footage is not clear, the incident is seen from multiple angles, including from the perspective of the officer who was shot.
Reed’s death was classified as a homicide by the medical examiner, who ruled that he died from “multiple” gunshot wounds.
Following the release of the video, a demonstration was held outside the 11th District Police Station, where protestors demanded the officers who shot Reed be fired. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the release of the 911 calls and video footage came as part of an effort to be more transparent.
State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office will determine if the incident warranted the officers’ use of force or if the use of force necessitates criminal charges.
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