CHICAGO (WLS) — No charges will be filed against the police officers involved in the shooting death of Dexter Reed, the Cook County State’s Attorney said.
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke put forth an extremely detailed presentation aimed at explaining step by step, not just what happened on that day, but also why she says there is no legal justification to charge the officers involved.
Warning: Body-worn camera footage shown in this story is graphic and may be disturbing.
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“This decision is not reached lightly nor does it diminish the tragedy that has occurred,” Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said on Wednesday.
No charges will be filed against the police officers involved in the shooting death of Dexter Reed.
On March 14, 2024, Reed was killed during a confrontation with Chicago police officers in East Garfield Park, following a traffic stop for an alleged seatbelt violation.
COPA officials said 96 gunshots were fired in 41 seconds by four Chicago police officers, all members of a CPD tactical team, at Reed during a traffic stop in Humboldt Park. The medical examiner said Reed was shot 13 times and later died at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Body-worn camera shows Reed ignoring officers repeated commands to get out of the car before he fires first, injuring one officer in the hand.It was ultimately that issue that O’Neill Burke said led her office to not file charges against the officers involved.
“It goes to the officer’s reasonable belief, and does the officer reasonably believe that they are in danger of imminent death or bodily harm or are others?” O’Neill Burke said.
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“You also have to look at the ongoing activities. It wasn’t just firing one shot at an officer. It was the continued firing at the officers. It was proceeding forward with the vehicle and crashing, and then getting out of the vehicle and in that crouching position,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Lyn McCarthy said. “So those are all circumstances.”
The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for Reed’s family. Last April, City Council’s finance committee voted against a $1.25 million dollar settlement agreement negotiated by city lawyers.
RELATED | Chicago Finance Committee rejects $1.25M settlement in deadly CPD shooting of Dexter Reed
Reed’s family attorney Andrew Stroth on Wednesday said he respect’s the Cook County State’s Attorney’s decision, but insists the traffic stop that led to the shooting is the issue, pointing out that all five officers involved in the shootout were the subjects of a previous COPA investigation into an unlawful traffic stop.
“This case is not about a shootout in the 11th District,” Stroth said. “This case is about the unconstitutional, the pretextual and racist stopped by officers working in the tactical unit in the 11th District.”
The Reed family’s federal civil rights suit continues. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for CPD said the three officers that are still with the department remain on administrative leave, pointing out that COPA’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.
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