Protests After Indianapolis Police Fatally Shoot Black Man In Chase Livestreamed On Facebook
Residents of Indianapolis are calling for justice in the shooting death of a Black man by police after a fatal police chase was livestreamed on Facebook.
A crowd of demonstrators gathered at the scene of the deadly shooting calling for accountability from police for the death of a young man identified by the Indianapolis Star as Sean Reed.
Reed, according to multiple reports, was a 21-year-old U.S. Army veteran.
The police chase was reportedly livestreamed on Reed’s Facebook page, with thousands of viewers watching the fatal events unfold in real time.
Footage has circulated of Reed recording himself as the police were chasing his vehicle. He can be seen bailing from his car, and then much of the video goes blurry, but then becomes clear just a second before shots ring out.
According to a press release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, on Wednesday evening (May 6), they are investigating the incident and the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave:
IMPD closely scrutinizes all uses of force, as we hold every officer to our high standards. While we are withholding judgement on the actions of the involved officer at this time, the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. The shooting is being investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). A separate and independent internal investigation will be conducted by IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit to ensure compliance with departmental policy, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is involved and will be consulted throughout the investigative process, which includes up to or including the Grand Jury, with civilian oversight. In addition, the IMPD Firearms Review Board will determine whether the departmental use of force was reasonable.
Indianapolis station WXIN posted the entire 36-minute video on its website, which gives a view of what happened from the driver’s perspective. In it he says that he “can’t go back to jail” and “I love you, mama. I’m so sorry I put you through this. I love you, though.”
After the shooting, a voice can be heard joking, "I think it's going to be a closed casket, homie" but it is unclear from the video exactly who made the remark.
According to the Star, the shooting death of Sean Reed marks the fourth police-involved shooting in Indianapolis this year.
