Dante Servin, The CPD Officer Who Killed Unarmed Rekia Boyd, Resigns

Detective’s recommended firing owes to public pressure, his attorney says
Chicago Det. Dante Servin, last year, hears a Cook County judge acquit him of criminal charges in his fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd, 22. The Chicago Police Board announced the resignation of Det. Dante Servin this summer. Pool photo by John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune
Detective’s recommended firing owes to public pressure, his attorney says
Chicago Det. Dante Servin, last year, hears a Cook County judge acquit him of criminal charges in his fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd, 22. The Chicago Police Board announced the resignation of Det. Dante Servin this summer. Pool photo by John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune

Dante Servin, The CPD Officer Who Killed Unarmed Rekia Boyd, Resigns

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The officer who shot and killed Rekia Boyd while off-duty in 2012 has resigned from the Chicago Police Department.

The Chicago Police Board announced the resignation of Det. Dante Servin on Tuesday afternoon. Servin’s resignation comes just two days before a scheduled hearing on the detective’s job status.

Former Superintendent Garry McCarthy moved to fire Servin in November, in the wake of the Laquan McDonald video release. The police board was set to consider that move starting Thursday. 

“It is the Board’s understanding that given the resignation, counsel for the superintendent will follow normal procedure and file a motion with the Board seeking to withdraw all charges against Servin without prejudice,” police board spokesman Max Caproni said in a statement.

Servin shot the 22-year-old Boyd in 2012 following a confrontation with a group walking from an outdoor party near Servin’s West Side home. Servin said a man in the group seemed to point a gun at him, so Servin fired several rounds over his shoulder. One of the bullets hit Boyd in the head, killing her.

Prosecutors said no one in the group had a gun, and charged the detective with involuntary manslaughter.

A Cook County judge found Servin not-guilty in April 2015. Still, the Independent Police Review Authority recommended Servin be fired for the off-duty shooting. And in November 2015, with protests raging throughout the city, Supt. McCarthy took their recommendation and moved to fire the veteran officer.