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2d ago

Cook County Prosecutors Decline to Charge Officers in Dexter Reed Shooting

Following the state’s attorney’s decision, COPA’s administrative probe remains open alongside the Reed family’s federal civil suit after a rejected $1.25 million settlement

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A still image of a video released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability shows a group of Chicago police officers surrounding a vehicle driven by Dexter Reed, 26, moments before an "exchange of gunfire" in which Reed was fatally shot on March 21, 2024 in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. (Chicago Police Department)

Overview

  • On August 13, 2025, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced that evidence was insufficient to secure criminal convictions against four Chicago police officers who shot and killed Dexter Reed during a March 2024 traffic stop.
  • Prosecutors found that Reed fired 11 times first—striking Officer Gregory Saint Louis in the wrist—and that officers reasonably believed they faced imminent danger when they returned fire with about 96 rounds.
  • Forensic tests revealed gunshot residue on Reed’s hands and matched a bullet recovered from the injured officer to Reed’s weapon, key factors cited in the decision not to press charges.
  • The Civilian Office of Police Accountability continues its own administrative investigation into the stop’s legality, officers’ plainclothes tactics and gaps in nearby surveillance recordings.
  • Reed’s family will proceed with a federal civil-rights lawsuit after the City Council Finance Committee rejected a tentative $1.25 million settlement earlier this year.