Rekia Boyd

Rekia Boyd, 22, was fatally shot by off-duty Chicago officer Dante Servin during a March 2012 encounter near a group of people in a park.

What happened

Rekia Boyd was with friends in Chicago when off-duty officer Dante Servin, who was in his vehicle, confronted a group in March 2012. Servin fired multiple shots, striking Boyd in the head. Boyd was unarmed. Servin said he believed another man in the group posed a threat, but advocates argued he recklessly fired toward bystanders and that an officer's claimed fear did not justify ending Rekia's life. Her relatives repeatedly attended proceedings, protested the shooting and demanded the officer be held responsible. The case became a leading example for Black women organizing against police violence.

Investigation & findings

Servin was tried on involuntary manslaughter and related charges but acquitted in a directed verdict in 2015 after the judge found the charged offenses were not proved as pleaded. This is not a finding that Rekia posed a threat.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records