Caleb Reed, a 17-year-old African American youth activist from Chicago, IL, tragically lost his life on July 31, 2020. Reed was a prominent member of Voices for Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) and GoodKids MadCity, organizations advocating for the removal of police officers from schools and addressing youth violence. On the day of his death, Reed was walking with friends in the West Rogers Park neighborhood when a gray Chevy Malibu drove by.
Genove Martin, an 18-year-old friend of Reed, began firing at the car, unintentionally striking Reed in the head. Reed was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries two days later.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, which showed Martin, Reed, and two other friends walking together when the Malibu approached. Martin, who had no prior criminal record, pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots at the car. One of the bullets hit Reed in the forehead, causing him to fall to the ground. The occupants of the Malibu returned fire, but no one else was injured. Martin was arrested on August 30, 2020, and charged with first-degree murder. During his detention hearing, Martin waived his right to an attorney and identified himself in the surveillance footage, although he claimed he did not have a gun and that shots from the Malibu killed Reed.
In October 2022, Genove Martin was sentenced to 18 years in prison for second-degree murder in the accidental shooting death of Caleb Reed. The court proceedings revealed that Martin had been shot eight months prior to the incident and was on electronic monitoring at the time of his arrest. Despite the tragic circumstances, Reed's death highlighted the ongoing issues of gun violence and the need for community-led solutions to address youth safety in Chicago.
