City says Dexter Reed was stopped by Chicago police for tinted windows, contradicting earlier claim

CHICAGO (WLS) — The city of Chicago now says a man killed in a police shooting was pulled over for tinted windows, contradicting an earlier explanation.

An officer shot and killed Dexter Reed back in March during a traffic stop in Humboldt Park.

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The city originally said officers pulled Reed over because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigators questioned that explanation, asking how officers could have seen the seat belt violation through Reed’s tinted windows.

Tuesday’s news came out in a court filing regarding a civil lawsuit Reed’s family filed against the city.

SEE ALSO | Dexter Reed shot 13 times in CPD traffic stop, death ruled a homicide: medical examiner

COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy issued a statement, saying, “While COPA does not comment on pending litigation, we continue to stand by the statement made previously and supporting materials released publicly by our agency in the ongoing investigation.”

The City of Chicago Department of Law issued a statement, saying, “We are in the formative stages of this litigation. The pleadings as filed have been improperly plead as it relates to the Fourth Amendment. As such, we have simply objected to that portion of the pleadings.”

Dexter Reed’s family attorneys Sheila Bedi and Andrew Stroth issued a statement, saying, Dexter Reed’s family filed a lawsuit focusing on CPD’s indisputable and longstanding policies and practices of racial profiling-including unlawful, and racially discriminatory traffic stops all of which led to Dexter Reed’s death. The family’s lawsuit also documents that the specific officers involved in Dexter’s death had a long, well-documented history of racial profiling , harassment, and intimidation. The City’s lawyers are wasting taxpayer dollars attempting to defend the indefensible-and have ignored the family’s request to collaborate on

The attorneys also provided a statement from Reed’s sister, Porscha Banks, saying, “The City trying to dismiss our case is devastating and heartbreaking. The words the Mayor said when he spoke on Dexter’s death feel like lies now. Nothing has happened to those officers and it’s not right. The City let those officers can do what they want with no consequences. But they are trying to deny my family justice after those officers did so much wrong to my brother. To ask the court to dismiss our case after how those officers did my brother-I’m outraged, heartbroken and it feels so wrong. It shows me that the Mayor and the City don’t care about the people or justice for my family.”