The brother of Dexter Reed, who was fatally shot by Chicago police, was arrested in the wake of protests that erupted after bodycam footage of the shooting was released. Julius Reed, 24, faced charges of battery and two counts of resisting arrest, details confirmed by the Reed family's attorney Andrew Stroth, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, after his arrest outside the 11th District Police Station.
Activist groups are calling for his release, highlighting the circumstances of his brother's death where Dexter Reed, 26, was shot 96 times in 41 seconds by four officers. This information stemmed from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability's report and was sparked by a traffic stop where Reed allegedly fired first. The CBS Chicago details include questions about the reason for the traffic stop and whether Reed knew why he was being apprehended with a seat belt violation cited as a dubious cause for the incident.
Indeed, Chicago police have come under scrutiny for the way the situation escalated, starting with the contentious traffic stop and ending with a deadly shootout, the aftermath of which saw protests and the subsequent arrest of Julius Reed. In a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Andrew Stroth voiced that the intention was to protest peacefully and cited the justice sought for Dexter Reed, while the CBS Chicago reports raised concerns over the appropriateness and proportionality of the police response.
An investigation by COPA into the incident found that Reed likely shot at police first prompting the officers to open fire, with Mayor Brandon Johnson expressing his personal devastation over the event and offering condolences to Reed's family, as he did after the shooting occurred, the officers’ actions still remain in question especially considering Reed was unarmed when multiple shots were fired as he lay on the ground, which has led to significant public outcry as well as official reviews of police conduct.
Questions have been raised regarding the standard procedures of police tactical units and their involvement in traffic stops, CBS Chicago provided insights from former Chicago Police First Deputy Supt. Anthony Riccio and Professor David Harris of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law on the matter, noting that such incidents usually transpire rapidly and the tactical teams often engage in seeking serious crimes in progress.
