Young activist dies after shooting in West Rogers Park
A 17-year-old activist who called to remove in-school police officers died Sunday morning after he was shot two days earlier.
Caleb Reed, a Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) leader and student at Mather High School, was shot about 1 p.m. Friday in the 1900 block of West Granville Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side, according to Chicago police.
Officers found Reed lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. He was taken to AMITA Health St. Francis Hospital Evanston in critical condition.
Reed was pronounced dead at 6:39 a.m. Sunday at the hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
No arrests have been made in his case.
Local activist group GoodKids MadCity wrote in a Tweet that Reed was a Freedom Fighter who wanted officers out of Chicago Public Schools.
“This tragedy is traumatizing & heartbreaking,” the organization wrote. “We can honor him by continuing the call to end (gun violence) & get students resources for healing.”
“He was a light in our community that was extinguished too soon,” Andre Vasquez, the 40th Ward Alderman, wrote in a Tweet. “We need to address the root causes of #GunViolence so that we stop losing our people.”
Reed spoke at a news conference June 9 outside of CPS headquarters. He shared his experience of being arrested for not having an ID at a school basketball game.
Reed left to use the bathroom at halftime. When he returned, an officer asked for his ID, which he did not have. Reed walked away, but another school resource officer was called in to arrested him, he said. Reed was detained in a cell for six hours.
“While I was sitting in that cell I felt angry and confused, but I remained calm because I knew the situation could have escalated real quick,” Reed said. “The situation was wrong because I did nothing wrong. I would have wanted the officer to ask me to leave, but that didn’t happen that day.”
Twitter @paigexfry
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