The family of Dexter Reed has moved to amend the lawsuit they filed against Chicago police after his fatal shooting by officers during a traffic stop, removing some of the excessive force claims it alleged.
The amended complaint strikes two of the three excessive force claims against the officers because the family was advised ballistics results could take up to a year or more to be completed, according to the motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
“Thus the progress of this litigation could be delayed if plaintiff pursued the current excessive force count at this time,” the document states.
The two excised counts centered on the officers’ actions after Reed, 26, stepped out of his vehicle March 21 in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand in Humboldt Park. The counts alleged the officers used excessive force when firing on Reed, 26, as he stepped out of his vehicle unarmed, and again when he lay face down after being shot.
After Reed fired at police during the encounter, officers fired 96 shots in 41 seconds, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Reed was struck 13 times, according to an autopsy.
The remaining excessive force count alleges the officers violated Reed’s rights by pointing their guns at him, escalating the situation and “creating chaos and confusion.”
The document states that lawyers for the city have not opposed the motion.
Reed’s mother filed the original complaint in April, accusing Chicago police of promoting “brutally violent, militarized policing tactics,” and argued that the five officers who stopped Reed “created an environment that directly resulted in his death.”
The lawsuit alleges that Reed “presented no threat to the officers” and doesn’t mention that Reed fired first, or that a gun was found in his front passenger seat, as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has reported.
Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of COPA, has pushed CPD Supt. Larry Snelling to strip the police powers of the four officers who were involved in the shooting.
Reed’s death sparked protests and renewed calls for police reform.
