The American police are back at the center of controversy after the release of a shocking video showing some plainclothes officers firing 96 shots in 42 seconds at 26-year-old African-American Dexter Reed, who was stopped at a road check because he was not wearing a seatbelt. The incident occurred on March 21 in Chicago, but the images taken by an officer’s bodycam have only now been released. According to the official version, the policemen opened fire after Reed refused to get out of the vehicle and shot first, wounding one of them.
Video Chicago, police kill African American with 96 shots
The boy’s family, however, accuses the police of excessive violence and wonders why five plainclothes officers stopped him and approached his car with guns drawn with the sole reason that he “allegedly” was not wearing safety belt. The 26-year-old was stopped by officers from a police tactical unit in an unmarked vehicle. The video shows law enforcement surrounding the SUV driven by Reed, who briefly rolls down a window, then raises it and refuses to get out of the car. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said preliminary investigations showed the young man fired first, wounding one officer, then four other officers (now on administrative leave for 30 days) returned fire, firing 96 shots. However, the shooting – as admitted by the office responsible for ascertaining the responsibility of the police – continued even after “Reed got out of his vehicle and fell to the ground”.
The footage has sparked anger from Dexter’s family, who are now calling for criminal charges against the officers and for the Chicago Police Department to disband tactical units like the one involved in the shooting. But it also sparked the wrath of the city’s African-American community, who tried to attack the police station. The Reed family’s legal team says the footage “leaves many questions open.” “This all seems disproportionate, it seems like a pretext,” commented civil rights lawyer Steven Hart. Dexter’s relatives describe him as a young man who loved playing basketball, cooking for them and aspired to become a sportscaster. Public records, however, show that Reed was arrested twice last year: once on theft charges for stealing a $950 shirt from the Saks Fifth Avenue department store, and once on gun charges after bringing a loaded handgun to the Windy City Smokeout festival without a carry license.
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2024-04-10 17:47:00
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