The Press Are Pushing a New George Floyd, and the Headlines Are Dangerous and Shameless

The shooting death of Dexter Reed by police in Chicago has captured the attention of the mainstream press, and they aren’t exactly being honest in their coverage of the incident. Desperate for a new George Floyd, perhaps because it’s an election year, news outlets are shamelessly misleading about the incident.

In March, Reed was pulled over and approached by police. Body cam footage shows one officer asking him to roll the window down and then attempting to open the door after Reed tried to roll the window up. It’s at that point that shots ring out and the officers are seen running away to take cover. A gunfight ensues and with Reed stumbling out of the car, the officers discharge their weapons again.

While the press has reported that the officers fired “96 times” as a way to sensationalize the situation, 11 of the shots were actually from Reed, with his initial burst striking an officer in the arm. He can be seen bleeding on the extended body camera footage.

Misinformation about the situation began to be reported immediately, including from Reed’s family.

“If he was supposed to get pulled over for a traffic stop, why do they have four guns pointed at him? He was scared. And after he was already on the ground there, they still put him in cuffs instead of checking to see if he’s breathing. They shot to him 96 times and reload the clip three times,” Reed’s sister Porscha Banks said during a Tuesday press conference.

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