Family seeks justice in fatal police shooting of young woman

By Cinque Muhammad | Last updated: Apr 23, 2012 - 6:59:58 PM

Rekia Boyd

CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - The family Rekia Boyd is part of a select and sad group: They are among Blacks who have lost loved ones to shootings but the shooters have not been arrested and are claiming self-defense. The 22-year-old was shot in the head by an off-duty Chicago detective March 21 and died of her gunshot wounds the day after.

She died less than a month after Florida teen Trayvon Martin was killed by a neighborhood watch captain who claimed he was attacked by the youth.

“They’re (authorities) justifying it in every way that they can, and they’re not trying to do anything about it whatsoever,” said Darian Boyd, the victim’s brother. “They still have not placed that man on restricted leave or done anything additional, yet they continue to say that they’re investigating the case, and this man is active all along.”

According to the Boyd family’s website, www.rightsforrekia.com, on that fateful night in Douglas Park in the North Lawndale area, Rekia was visiting with friends when Officer Dante Servin pulled up nearby around 1 a.m. in an unmarked car, “dressed in civilian clothes barking statements at Rekia Boyd and a group of associates and telling them to shut up.”

According to the family, the officer lifted his gun and fired about 10 rounds at the fleeing crowd, striking Antonio Cross in the hand as he talked on a cell phone and hitting Rekia in the head. The website says Officer Servin never identified himself as a police officer.

Mr. Cross says Officer Servin claims he thought his phone was a gun. The Chicago Police Department has not recovered any weapon, but Mr. Cross has been charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault. The case is under investigation by the Chicago Independent Police Review, whose Deputy Chief Administrator William Weeden refuses to say anything about the ongoing probe.

Mr. Boyd said his family has made numerous attempts to contact police about the events that led to Rekia’s death—but no one will talk to them.

In a recent march for Rekia, her family and supporters gathered at the District 10 Police Station where Mr. Boyd says they unknowingly encountered Officer Servin. There were two officers walking into the station, and his younger brother, Daunyell Boyd, approached them and said an officer had shot and killed his sister. Family members say they were appalled when one of the officers laughed and said, “So, I don’t care.” After identifying Officer Servin in an online photo, family members say he was the officer encountered during the vigil. “That was him that looked at them and laughed, and said, ‘So, I don’t care,’ ” said Mr. Boyd. “It was the most eerie feeling I ever got in my life!”

In an interview with a Chicago TV station, Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy called the shooting “justified,” outraging the Boyd family and supporters. In response to what they call a lack of fairness and concern, the family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Officer Servin. Their attorneys say the city may offer the family a settlement to avoid going to trial. In the meantime, the Boyd family continues to call for justice. “We just did a rally last weekend and we have one scheduled for next weekend in Iowa City as well,” said Mr. Boyd. “We’re just continuing this campaign, reaching out to as many organizations as we can.”

The Final Call