City lawyers offer different view about why Chicago police stopped man before fatal shooting

CHICAGO (AP) — A man killed in March in a shootout with Chicago police was stopped because of illegally tinted windows, city attorneys said in a court filing, contradicting earlier information that officers had pulled him over because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Police fired their guns nearly 100 times, striking Dexter Reed at least 13 times, according to an autopsy.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA, which investigates police shootings, said Reed fired first. Reed’s mother has filed a lawsuit, alleging excessive force in her son’s death.

In a court filing last week, the city asked a judge to dismiss key portions of the lawsuit. Attorneys also disclosed that Reed, 26, was stopped because of tinted windows, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

COPA had said the shooting was preceded by a stop for not wearing a seatbelt, raising questions about the legitimacy of the stop.

Ephraim Eaddy, COPA’s deputy chief administrator, said the department stands by the “statements made previously and supporting materials released publicly by our agency in the ongoing investigations.”

Reed’s sister, Porscha Banks, is upset over efforts by the city to get the lawsuit dismissed.

“They are trying to deny my family justice after those officers did so much wrong to my brother,” Banks said.

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