Trial set for cop who fatally shot Rekia Boyd
A trial has been set for a Chicago police detective who fatally shot an unarmed woman in 2012.
Dante Servin has been indicted on criminal charges that he recklessly opened fire at a group of people while off-duty. He said that he feared for his life after he saw a man point a gun at him not far from his home near Douglas Park on the morning of Mar. 12.
Servin was charged last November with involuntary manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm and reckless conduct. He was stripped of his police powers and is on paid desk duty pending the outcome of the trial, a police spokesman said Monday.
In a telephone interview with the Tribune Monday, Servin’s attorney expressed confidence that he would be acquitted of the charged. “He did what he was he trained to do,” Thomas Brandstrader said.
Servin faces punishment ranging from probation to five years in prison if convicted. The city previously paid $4.5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Boyd’s estate.
The veteran officer faces anything from probation to five years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, the most serious charge. Servin’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 27.
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