After Aderrien Murry, 11, was shot by a police officer who responded to the child’s 911 call earlier this month, his family has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking $5 million. Nakala Murry, Aderrien’s mother, filed a complaint against the city of Indianola, Mississippi, its police chief, and numerous officers on Tuesday.
Among those officers is Greg Capers, whom the Indianola Police Department has identified as the officer who shot Aderrien. CNN has attempted to reach Capers for comment, but he has not answered. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is still looking into the sh*oting.
According to Aderrien’s mother and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the officer shot the boy in the chest early on the morning of May 20 while responding to a domestic disturbance call at the child’s house.
Claiming excessive force, carelessness, reckless endangerment, and civil assault and battery, the case filed in US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi is asking for at least $5 million in damages.
Capers “failed to assess the situation before displaying and/or discharging his firearm,” the lawsuit claims, going on to allege negligence on the part of the city, saying, “The injuries endured by the defendants could have been avoided if Defendants would have acquired the adequate training on how to provide proper assistance and care.”
The suit claims Capers’ actions “were so grossly negligent and reckless; utterly offensive; and were committed with such utter disregard for the rights of (the plaintiff) … as to amount to willful, wanton, and/or intentional misconduct.”
Mayor of Indianola Ken Featherstone told CNN he wanted to see justice for the kid, but he “cannot support the firing of (Capers) before knowing all the facts, and at this time I don’t know all the facts.” The mayor claims he hasn’t spoken to the cop or watched the body camera footage since the tragedy.
Featherstone, in response to the lawsuit, said he looks forward to “making everyone whole.” He did not comment on his conversation with the family. “I’m sure we’re insured, but we don’t have $5 million sitting there,” he said.
The news is confirmed by the tweet below:
The family of 11-year-old Mississippi boy Aderrien Murry has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking $5 million after he was shot earlier this month by a police officer who responded to the child’s 911 call for help https://t.co/R7DHiyDs5x
— CNN (@CNN) May 30, 2023
How the Shooting Unfolded?
Murry had previously told CNN that on the morning of the shooting, the “irate” father of another of her children showed up at her house at 4 a.m. Murry said that she had requested Aderrien to call the police out of fear for her safety.
The responding officer “had his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside,” as described by Murry. According to her, her son was shot as he rounded a hallway bend and entered the living room.
“Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Murry said. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot. He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’” she said.
If you want to understand more about this topic, I recommend the following books:
- Incident in San Clemente Results to Arrests of Teens for Assault on US Marines
- Arrest Made in M*rder of New Jersey Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour: Suspect Charged With First-degree M*rder
At the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, a chest tube was inserted and the boy was placed on a ventilator. The sh*oting left him with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and a lacerated liver, according to his mother. He was just recently let free.
Aderrien’s family attorney Carlos Moore told CNN that there was “no way” the youngster could have been mistaken for the adult who was the subject of the 911 call. The adult in question is taller than 6 feet, whereas Aderrien is only approximately 4 feet, 10 inches tall.
You can bookmark this page so that you can immediately return to read more California news on the California Examiner.