Dexter Reed shot 13 times in CPD traffic stop, death ruled a homicide: medical examiner
Bodycam video showed 96 shots fired in 41 seconds
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Dexter Reed was shot 13 times during a traffic stop that turned deadly last month on Chicago's West Side, an autopsy showed.
The 26-year-old died March 21, and an autopsy was performed the following day.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Reed's death a homicide.
Body camera video shows police firing dozens of times at the vehicle Reed was inside. Investigators say he appeared to fire first.
The autopsy report indicates Reed was shot four times in the buttocks and shot twice in the chest, right thigh and right leg. He was shot once in the left shoulder and once in the left knee.
Reed was killed during a confrontation with Chicago police officers in East Garfield Park, following a traffic stop for an alleged seatbelt violation.
RELATED: Chicago police officers fired about 96 times over 41 seconds, killing Dexter Reed: VIDEO
His death is now subject to an ongoing investigation by both the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Bodycam footage released by COPA two and a half weeks ago shows officers demanding that Reed roll down his window and unlock his doors.
COPA said, in the video, Reed appears to open fire first on one officer standing on the front passenger side. Four other officers, all members of a CPD tactical team, return fire, firing, according to COPA, 96 shots in 41 seconds.
While the initial COPA findings report Reed fired first, protests have followed the release of the body camera footage, along with calls for the officers involved to have their police powers revoked as the investigation continues.
On Wednesday, Reed's family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit, calling the traffic stop illegal and accusing Chicago police of promoting "brutally violent, militarized policing tactics.
A toxicology report performed on Reed also found a small amount of THC, the active substance in marijuana, in his bloodstream at the time of his death. The amount, however, was about half the legal limit for driving in Illinois.
