Indianapolis Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Dreasjon Reed in May Won’t Face Charges

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer who fatally shot 21-year-old Dreasjon Reed won’t face criminal charges, a grand jury announced Tuesday night.

IMPD officer Dejoure Mercer shot Reed during a foot pursuit May 6, sparking a string of protests and demands that Mercer face consequences.

Special Prosecutor Rosemary Khoury, who was appointed to oversee the criminal investigation, said the grand jury determined there wasn’t enough probable cause to charge the officer.

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{snip} A separate but coordinated news conference was held shortly after Khoury’s announcement during which Indiana State Police investigators laid out, in detail, what they say happened during the final 16 minutes of Reed’s life.

The ISP investigation concluded that Reed was armed, that he fired two shots after he had been tased by Mercer and that he was then shot multiple times by Mercer, including while they were facing each other.

The ISP also said evidence in Reed’s phone indicated his involvement in two previous drive-by shootings — no one was injured — and that cartridges collected by IMPD in those shootings matched the gun that was in Reed’s possession when he was shot.

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Part of the shooting was captured on Reed’s Facebook Live, which he began recording while he was driving and before the foot pursuit.

According to IMPD, the vehicle pursuit started on I-65 near 30th Street around 6 p.m. when IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams saw Reed driving recklessly. Police said Reed’s car almost struck other vehicles while it exited the interstate.

Adams initiated a pursuit and IMPD Chief Randal Taylor, who was in a different car, aided. Once other officers joined the pursuit, Adams and Taylor stopped pursuing Reed.

But by 6:10 p.m. an IMPD sergeant ordered officers to stop due to how fast Reed was driving. Police said Mercer then saw Reed driving eastbound on 62nd Street before parking at a business. Both Mercer and Reed left their cars, and a foot pursuit began.

Police said there was a confrontation between the two near the intersection of West 62nd Street and Michigan Road that involved an exchange of gunfire, and Mercer called in the shooting at 6:16 p.m. Police said Mercer used his service weapon after a Taser deployment was “ineffective.”

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Fifteen casings were recovered at the scene. Police said a weapon found at the scene belonged to Reed, and that Reed fired a weapon at Mercer. {snip}

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