INDIANAPOLIS – The family of Dreasjon Reed and their attorneys are demanding answers from IMPD. We expect to hear from them Wednesday morning for the first time in nearly a month.
According to our partners at the Indy Star, attorneys for the 21-year-old’s family say they have new video that proves an IMPD officer fatally shot Reed in the back after he fell to the ground from being hit with a stun gun.
The Indy Star reports the video shows the moments after Reed’s death on May 6, but it does not show the actual shooting.
Reed was shot and killed by police following a chase in Indianapolis. It was livestreamed on Facebook. IMPD has said there was a confrontation between the officer and Reed, in which the officer fired a taser at some point. Police then say shots were fired by both the officer and Reed. Investigators say they recovered a gun nearby the scene and also evidence Reed shot at police at least once.
According to the Indy Star, in the new video you hear the voices of three women recounting what they saw while driving on West 62nd Street and Michigan Road.
In the video, according to the Indy Star, a woman is heard saying, “They killed this man for no reason. Shot this man in his back.” She goes on to say, “Dude was running, dude was running.”
Another woman is heard saying, “I thought they Tased him (because) the way his body was trembling so bad.”
The first woman heard in the video then said, “He was on the ground shaking. They still shot this man.” She added, “After they Tased him, he was on the ground defenseless. Dude couldn’t do nothing, and they shot him.”
The Indy Star reports the women in the video say they and several others witnessed the shooting. Right now, it does not appear those women have been interviewed by police. That’s according to a statement from IMPD Deputy Chief of Investigations Craig McCartt: “IMPD has repeatedly asked that any members of the community who may have witnessed the incident or who may know of additional video share that information with investigators. To this point, no one has come forward with such information.”
According to a press release by The Law Firm of Fatima Johnson, the firm representing Reed’s family, the family has requested answers for weeks, and IMPD has yet to give them answers. The attorneys say, “These actions, along with the pace of the investigation, have forced public questioning of the IMPD’s version of account of the incident.”
The release goes on to say, “Every witness that spoke with Mr. Reed’s family’s attorneys has disputed that Mr. Reed brandished a weapon or shot a gun before he was shot to death. Mr. Reed’s family is committed to fighting for the truth about what happened that fateful day.”
Last week, Chief Randall Taylor mentioned police were waiting for a special prosecutor to be assigned in the case. One has not been assigned yet. The officer involved in the shooting of Reed is still on paid administrative leave pending the investigation. This is standard procedure.
Reed’s family and their attorneys will meet at West 62nd and North Michigan Road at 11:30 a.m. That’s near where Reed was killed.
