'Outrageously escalatory' behavior from Provocative Chicago Cops After Bullshit “Seatbelt Stop” left Dexter Reed Dead, family says in Lawsuit

From [HERE] The family of a Black man killed in a barrage of bullets by Chicago police filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging the officers involved were “outrageously escalatory” in the traffic stop that left motorist Dexter Reed dead and an officer wounded.

The lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the five officers involved in pulling Reed, 26, over on March 21 outlines 17 counts, including three counts of excessive force, wrongful death, and two violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act that hints at a key part of Reed’s past.

The 81-page filing obtained and reviewed by USA TODAY is the latest development in the case that has sparked controversy in the city ever since Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability released footage of the traffic stop.

"Officers who initially approached Dexter’s vehicle were outrageously escalatory," the lawsuit says, adding they used "wildly disproportionate force against Dexter — repeatedly shooting at him even when he clearly presented no threat."

The city has said Reed had a gun and fired first. Chicago’s Law Department said Wednesday that the "city has not been served with the complaint and does not comment on pending litigation."

Seat belt check [4th Amendment is Imaginary]

The story of Reed’s death begins with five Chicago Police officers pulling over the 26-year-old for a seatbelt violation, according to officials. Reed didn’t comply with officers and the situation escalated, according to bodycam footage reviewed by USA TODAY.

Reed fired first and officers responded with as many as 96 shots in 41 seconds, the police accountability office said. Reed was awaiting trial in a gun case, Cook County court records show, and he had a gun, his lawyers said.

A bullet grazed one of the officers in the shooting, according to the lawsuit. But it does not clearly say Reed fired the bullet, saying the officer was hit "at some point either before or after" the other officers began shooting.

Regardless, how the traffic stop unfolded has caused an uproar. The head of the city’s accountability board questioned the truthfulness of the officers involved; the officers have a history of complaints, according to records USA TODAY obtained via FOIA request; and bodycam footage of the shooting shows officers firing on an apparently unarmed and down Reed.

2 counts of 'willful and wanton conduct'

The lawsuit, brought by Reed’s mother Nicole Banks, lists 17 counts; 8 are against the city and the rest are against the officers.

The counts against the officers are making an unconstitutional traffic stop; three counts of excessive force; denial of medical care after Reed was shot; two counts of "willful and wanton conduct" for escalatory behavior and wrongful death; assault; battery; and two counts against the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The ADA charges are based on Reed experiencing PTSD, according to the lawsuit.

The counts against the city include one for a pattern of “unconstitutional traffic stops,” for a pattern of “excessive and escalatory force” and a violation against the Civil Rights Act for targeting Reed, who was Black. [MORE]