Family of man killed by Chicago police during traffic stop files wrongful death suit

According to AP News, the family of Dexter Reed has filed a lawsuit in Cook County court. The 76-page federal complaint alleges the officers violated multiple laws and police department policies during the “predatory, violent, unlawful traffic stop” on March 21 that left the 26-year-old dead.

The shooting and subsequent release of the video led to protests in Chicago over the killing in which nearly 100 shots were fired within 41 seconds, with some CPD stopping to reload after their gun clips were emptied.

According to AP, 'the CPD police oversight agency released videos and documents this month. The agency has said Reed fired at the officers first, but no proof of this has been released thus far. The footage raised questions about the officers’ use of force and tactical squads that use unmarked police cars. Community activists have called for the officers to be fired immediately. The Cook County state's attorney's office is also investigating.'

'The lawsuit claims the officers didn’t properly identify themselves as police, lacked reasonable suspicion to stop Reed, escalated the situation by immediately drawing guns and shouting profanity-laced commands, and failed to provide timely medical care as Reed lay in the street.'

“Chicago Police Department leaders promote brutally violent, militarized policing tactics,” the lawsuit alleges. “The pretextual stop of Dexter Reed, and the escalation exhibited by the offending police officers, created an environment that directly resulted in his death.”

Chicago police or local officials have said little about the shooting that left one officer injured, initially noting an “exchange of gun fire.” The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates police shootings, said this month that five members of a district tactical unit pulled Reed’s vehicle over, purportedly because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

AP News Story With Shooting Video