Family of man killed when Chicago police fired 96 times during traffic stop files wrongful death suit

CHICAGO (AP) — The family of a Chicago man killed when plainclothes police officers fired nearly 100 times during a traffic stop filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday, accusing the department of “brutally violent”.

The 76-page federal complaint alleges that officers violated several laws and police department policies during the March 21 “predatory, violent and unlawful traffic stop” that left 26-year-old Dexter Reed dead.

A police watchdog agency released videos and documents this month. The agency said Reed first fired at the officers. The footage has raised questions about police use of force and tactical squads that use unmarked police cars. Community activists have called for the immediate firing of the police officers. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is also investigating.

The lawsuit claims the officers failed to properly identify themselves as police officers, did not have reasonable suspicion to arrest Reed, escalated the situation by immediately drawing their weapons and shouting profane commands, and failed to provide timely medical care as Reed lay in the street.

“Leaders of the Chicago Police Department promote brutally violent and militarized policing tactics,” the lawsuit claims. “The pretext arrest of Dexter Reed and the escalation by the offending officers created an environment that directly led to his death.”

Police said little about the shooting that injured a police officer, initially noting an “exchange of gunfire.” The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates police shootings, said this month that five members of a district tactical unit stopped Reed’s vehicle, allegedly because he was not wearing seatbelt.

According to their initial findings, Reed fired first. Then the officers returned fire, firing 96 shots in 41 seconds, according to COPA. Reed was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The suit does not mention investigators’ conclusion that Reed fired first.

The lawsuit names the city of Chicago, the police department and the five officers involved.

Chicago police and the city declined to comment Wednesday, pointing to ongoing litigation. John Catanzara, president of the Chicago police union, said he would encourage officers to fight back.

Reed’s family is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages. They were expected to speak to reporters later Wednesday.

The trial also sheds more light on Reed’s life and health.

In 2021, Reed was shot during a “domestic altercation” that caused serious injuries and required extensive rehabilitation, according to the family’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth.

After that, he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, which affected his ability “to work, process information and communicate” and influenced how he responded to police, according to the lawsuit.

Police records show Reed was also facing felony gun charges during a July 2023 arrest when he was killed. Stroth declined to discuss the gun-related charges, calling them irrelevant to the trial.

He said the family wants to make sure the police department better complies with a court-supervised reform plan.

“This family is urgent because Dexter Reed is not coming back,” Stroth said. “We can definitely save others.”

COPA was created in 2016 after the city was forced to release dashcam video of then-officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a long history of racial bias and excessive use of force by Chicgo police officers, and the department has been subject to a court-imposed consent decree since 2019.

The independent monitoring team that oversees the department’s compliance has repeatedly found the department not meeting specific deadlines and targets.