A Mississippi family has demanded a police officer be dismissed and charged with aggravated assault for shooting an 11-year-old boy when police responded to the child’s own domestic disturbance call at his home.
Aderrien Murry, who called police at the request of his mother, was unarmed and following instructions from Indianola officer Greg Capers when Capers shot him in the chest early last Saturday morning, seriously wounding him, family attorney Carlos Moore said.
The boy had called police to the home after his mother, Nakala Murry, was threatened by a man at 4am local time, but Capers “escalated the situation”, Moore said. The man was Murry’s father, ABC News reported, citing Murry.
Moore called for bodycam video to be released and objected to Capers being placed on paid leave pending the investigation. A small group of protesters held a sit-in protest with the family at city hall on Thursday morning.
“We are demanding justice. An 11-year-old Black boy in the city of Indianola came within an inch of losing his life,” Moore said. “He had done nothing wrong and everything right.”
Moore added to NBC: “The main question [Aderrien] has been asking is why did this happen to me? The child suffered a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs. … He’s blessed to have survived but he’s still in pain emotionally and mentally.”
Murry was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for treatment and released on Wednesday, CNN reported.
The police department was not available for comment. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating, CNN reported.
The majority Black city of Indianola, population 15,000, is about 100 miles north of Jackson, the state’s capital city.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said it is investigating the shooting, NBC further reported.
“No officers were injured during the incident. A minor occupant of the residence received significant injuries and has been transported to a local hospital,” the agency said.
“MBI is currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence. Upon completing the investigation, agents will share their findings with the Attorney General’s Office.”
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