Killing of Rekia Boyd explained

Killing of Rekia Boyd
Place:Chicago, Illinois, US
Participants:Dante Servin (shooter)
Type:Homicide, shooting
Reported Deaths:Rekia Boyd
Accused:Dante Servin
Charges:Involuntary manslaughter
Verdict:Not guilty[1]
Motive:Response to being called a crackhead

Rekia Boyd (November 5, 1989 - March 21, 2012) was a 22-year-old Black American woman who was fatally shot in Chicago, Illinois by Dante Servin, an off-duty Hispanic Chicago police detective, on March 21, 2012.[2]

Killing

Servin, an off-duty police officer, drove his car to Douglass Park on the West Side of Chicago after calling the police to make a noise complaint.[3] He then approached a group of four individuals who had been partying in the park[4] and had some form of verbal altercation with them. One of the victims, Antonio Cross, alleged that he believed Servin was looking for a drug dealer, to which Cross allegedly told Servin to get his "crackhead ass" out of there.

Servin fired on the group, hitting Rekia Boyd in the head, and Antonio Cross in the hand. Initially, the Chicago police department claimed that Servin had discharged his weapon after Cross had approached him with a gun.[5] The Boyd family quickly responded that the object was in fact a cell phone.[6] No weapon was ever recovered from the scene.

Aftermath

On April 5, 2012, Boyd’s family filed a lawsuit against Chicago. The lawsuit was settled in March 2013.In November 2013, Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter,[7] He requested a bench trial. He was cleared on April 20 2015 by Judge Dennis J. Porter in a rare directed verdict.[8] Porter's reasoning was that since the shooting was intentional, Servin could not be charged with recklessness. "It is intentional and the crime, if any there be, is first-degree murder," said Porter in his ruling.[9] Following this ruling, Servin could not be charged with murder due to double jeopardy protections.[10]

Servin claimed he fired because someone in the group was holding a gun, but it was actually only a cellphone.[11] In November 2015, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police superintendent Garry McCarthy both suggested that Dante Servin should be fired by the Chicago Police Board.[12] The city paid $4.5 million to Boyd's family to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit.[13]

Servin resigned on May 17, 2016, two days before the departmental hearing which was to decide whether he should be fired.[14] [15]

In November 2019, Servin requested that the case be expunged from his record. The request was denied by a judge, as was a subsequent request to seal the case's records.[16]

Protests

The ruling sparked some public protest.[9] The Black Lives Matter movement has protested the deaths of black girls and women at the hands of police, including Boyd's.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tolentino . Jia . Jia Tolentino . Cop Who Killed Rekia Boyd Out of 'Fear' Found Not Guilty on All Counts . April 21, 2015 . April 28, 2015 . Jezebel . April 25, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150425042148/http://jezebel.com/cop-who-killed-rekia-boyd-out-of-fear-found-not-guilty-1699164997 . live .
  2. News: Goldstein. Sasha. Judge finds Chicago police officer not guilty in fatal shooting. Reuters. 2021-10-01. 2021-10-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20211001161622/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-police-chicago-trial/judge-finds-chicago-police-officer-not-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-idUSKBN0NC02O20150421. live.
  3. News: Inside the failed prosecution of Chicago Detective Dante Servin. Sweeney. Annie. chicagotribune.com. 2017-01-05. 2017-01-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106103437/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-dante-servin-acquittal-met-20150626-story.html. live.
  4. News: Rucinski. Tracy. Chicago cop charged with killing unarmed young woman during off-duty confrontation. 5 January 2017. NY Daily News. November 25, 2013. 6 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161206014748/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/chicago-charged-killing-unarmed-young-woman-article-1.1529041. live.
  5. News: Cops: Off-duty Chicago detective shoots couple. Sobol. Rosemary. March 21, 2012. Chicago Tribune. 5 January 2017. 6 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106104133/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-woman-and-man-shot-by-offduty-chicago-police-officer-20120321-story.html. live.
  6. News: Chicagoans Rally For Rekia Boyd, Woman Fatally Shot By Off-Duty Detective. 5 January 2017. Huffington Post. Mar 30, 2012. 6 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106173221/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/chicagoans-rally-for-reki_n_1385032.html. live.
  7. News: Goldstein. Sasha. Chicago cop charged with killing unarmed young woman during off-duty confrontation. April 28, 2015. NY Daily News. November 28, 2013. April 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150427022509/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/chicago-charged-killing-unarmed-young-woman-article-1.1529041. live.
  8. News: Chicago Police Detective Cleared of Manslaughter in Shooting Death. April 28, 2015. NY Daily News. April 20, 2015. The Associated Press. May 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150518232528/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/us/chicago-police-detective-cleared-of-manslaughter-in-shooting-death.html?_r=0. live.
  9. News: Cynic . Aaron . Judge's Ruling in Rekia Boyd Case Sparks Outrage, Protests . April 25, 2015 . Chicagoist via Truth-Out.org . April 27, 2015 . April 28, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150428072540/http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30442-judge-s-ruling-in-rekia-boyd-case-sparks-outrage-protests . live .
  10. Web site: Schutz . Paris . Thometz . Kristen . Aftermath of Rekia Boyd Verdict . WTTW News . en . 2022-01-17 . 2022-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182700/https://news.wttw.com/2015/04/21/aftermath-rekia-boyd-verdict . live .
  11. Web site: Editorial: Rekia Boyd shooting was 'beyond reckless,' so cop got a pass. Chicago Tribune. 21 May 2016. 22 April 2015. 21 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160521060257/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-cop-verdict-servin-edit-0423-20150422-story.html. live.
  12. Hernandez, Jade (November 24, 2015). "Emanuel: Officer who fatally shot Rekia Boyd 'does not deserve to wear police star' ". ABC 7 Chicago.
  13. News: Gorner . Jeremy . Anger follows acquittal in rare trial of Chicago cop . 10 July 2022 . Chicago Tribune . 10 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220710144940/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicago-police-detective-manslaughter-trial-0421-met-20150420-story.html . live .
  14. Web site: Chicago officer who shot Rekia Boyd resigns. CNN. 21 May 2016. 18 May 2016. 24 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624104711/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/18/us/rekia-boyd-shooting-officer-resigns/. live.
  15. Web site: Sweeny. Annie. Police Detective Dante Servin resigns before possible firing over fatal shooting. Chicago Tribune. 21 May 2016. 18 May 2016. 20 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160520235126/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-cop-dante-servin-resigns-met-20160518-story.html. live.
  16. Web site: Masterson . Matt . Expungement Request Denied for Ex-CPD Detective Dante Servin in Rekia Boyd Case . WTTW News . 17 January 2022 . en . 18 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182429/https://news.wttw.com/2019/11/19/expungement-request-denied-ex-cpd-detective-dante-servin-rekia-boyd-case . live .
  17. Web site: Naked protesters gather in San Francisco for 'Black Lives Matter'. USA Today. May 26, 2015. Mandaro. Laura. Guynn. Jessica. May 22, 2015. May 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150526150706/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/05/21/black-lives-matter-naked-protest-san-francisco/27742833/. live.

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