Family seeks answers after man killed in Garfield Park shootout with Chicago police

Officer shot, injured on West Ferdinand Street

Friday, March 22, 2024
Family seeks answers after man killed in West Side shootout with CPD
A police shooting in Chicago left suspect Dexter Reed dead and an officer shot in the 3800-block of West Ferdinand Street on Thursday.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The man killed in a Thursday evening shootout with Chicago police on the West Side has been identified.

The family of 26-year-old Dexter Reed told ABC7 they spoke with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Friday.

The unanswered questions on Friday evening is who fired shots and why?

Video shared on the Citizen app captured the barrage of gunfire. The footage captured the sounds of more than two dozen gunshots.

"I don't know why this happened to my brother, because he was such a beautiful person," said Porscha Banks, Reed's sister. "Dexter meant everything to us."

CPD said officers pulled a car over just after 6 p.m. Thursday in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand Street. While officers were by the car, there was an exchange of gunfire.

Aerials of the scene from Chopper 7 show a white SUV riddled with bullet holes.

Police said an officer was shot in the wrist. Reed was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he later died.

"I hate that my family has to go through this, because we already go through enough. And I hate this for my mom, because I don't know if she can take this pain on her heart," Banks said.

Banks spoke with her brother just minutes before the shooting.

"He called me so much that sometimes I didn't even answer," Banks said. "He just called me all day."

She said he played basketball at Morton College in Cicero and described him as a smart, outspoken young man.

"Why did they have to kill him?" Banks said. "What happened and what led up to everything? Did he pull out a gun on them or not?"

She and her family is now searching for answers.

"I just want some answers as to why was he stopped? What was the purpose of him being stopped? Because obviously, if he was stopped, why did it lead to him losing his life? When he was on his way to get some brakes for his car," said Roosevelt Banks III, Reed's uncle.

COPA is handling the investigation while the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.

"There is bodycam footage of everything," said CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said. "Our investigative response team is investigating right now. COPA is on scene and they have our full cooperation."

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