Former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi says the outcome of the Dreasjon Reed case could result in more violence in downtown Indianapolis.
21-year-old Reed was fatally shot during an encounter with police in May following a chase that he had live-streamed on his Facebook page. IMPD officers said Reed fired a gun before the shooting, a claim Reed’s family and their attorney dispute.
Madison County Deputy Prosecutor Rosemary Khoury was appointed to oversee the investigation into Reed’s death due to concern in the community about the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office close working relationship with IMPD.
Khoury said during a briefing Friday that she’s requested that a grand jury be impaneled to handle the final stage of the investigation into the Reed shooting. That jury will decide whether an indictment should be brought against Indianapolis police Officer Dejoure Mercer, who fatally shot Reed after a brief foot chase.
Former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, a 2020 candidate for Congress, told WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel Show that Khoury is handling the investigation the right way.
“She’s going to present all the facts to a grand jury and let them decide whether the shooting was justified,” said Brizzi.
“What’s interesting,” Brizzi continued, “is that 10-15 years ago, every police action shooting that resulted in a death would go before a grand jury – that was standard operating procedure. They’re going about it this way with the Reed shooting because of the political climate and the racial tensions surrounding the case,” he added.
Days of protests followed Reed’s killing, which came hours before Indianapolis police officers fatally shot another Black man, 19-year-old McHale Rose.
Brizzi said the potential for more violence if charges aren’t filed in the Reed case is a possibility based on what happened previously, and he urged the Mayor’s office to be more proactive in protecting downtown residents and businesses.
“Mayor Hogsett has a big decision to make about how he is going to prevent outside agitators from inflicting more damage on the city,” said Brizzi. “We know how to do crowd control and we could limit access to the city – downtown in particular – and make it clear that if you don’t live downtown, you’re not coming into that area for a few days or until tensions ease.”
Click below to hear Hammer and Nigel’s full interview with Carl Brizzi.
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/carl-brizzi-talks-dreasjon-reed
