Indianapolis Police Officer Who Made ‘Closed Casket Homie’ Remark Suspended and Reassigned

Last week, a black man, Dreasjon Sean Reed, was killed by Indianapolis police after being shot while evading officers after a car chase. One of the officers, not realizing that the scene was being recorded on Facebook Live, was heard saying “Looks like it’s going to be a closed casket, homie,” has been suspended and reassigned because of the comment he made according to The Associated Press.

The victim, Dreasjon Sean Reed, was live-streaming himself on Facebook when he was shot. Unknown to the police, Reed was recording as he was gunned down and the officers had no clue that after shooting him, they could be heard sharing a laugh over his dead body.

Chief Randal Taylor, who stated at a press conference last week that the comments were “unacceptable,” said earlier this week that the police officer received a suspension of numerous days and has been reassigned to another unit.

Indianapolis police said in a statement that they cannot release the identities of the officer involved in the shooting, and the detective who made the inappropriate comment for safety reasons, but that the officer who fatally shot Reed is also African-American, The Indianapolis Star has reported. Taylor said earlier this week that detectives are investigating at least 26 threats made against officers following the fatal shootings of Reed and another police shooting victim, 19-year-old McHale Rose.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released a statement last week stating that gunfire was exchanged between the officers and the victim. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the driver and the officer. The driver was struck by the gunfire.”

“IMPD closely scrutinizes all uses of force, as we hold every officer to our high standards. While we are withholding judgment 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.”