Current:Home > FinancePolice officer who shot 11-year-old Mississippi boy suspended without pay -DataFinance
Police officer who shot 11-year-old Mississippi boy suspended without pay
View
Date:2025-04-19 06:09:48
A Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded an unarmed 11-year-old Black boy in the child's home has been suspended without pay, a city official said Tuesday.
The Indianola Board of Aldermen voted Monday night to immediately stop paying Sgt. Greg Capers, board member Marvin Elder said Tuesday. Capers, who is Black, had previously been suspended with pay, according to Carlos Moore, the attorney representing the family of the boy, Aderrien Murry.
Moore said the family is still pushing to get Capers fired. "He needs to be terminated and he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Moore said.
Murry was hospitalized for five days with a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs after Capers shot him in the chest on May 20, Moore said. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case, as is customary with shootings involving law enforcement, but Capers has not been charged with any crime.
Capers' attorney, Michael Carr, said the Board's 4-1 vote was cast during a "closed-door, unnoticed" meeting without informing him or his client.
"This is very disturbing to Sgt. Capers, and he should have been allowed due process," Carr said. "They have no evidence Sgt. Capers intentionally shot this young man, which he didn't. Everything that happened was a total and complete accident."
Carr added that body camera footage would prove Capers did nothing wrong. "I thank God that Sgt. Capers was wearing a bodycam," Carr said.
The shooting happened in Indianola, a town of about 9,300 residents in the rural Mississippi Delta, about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Jackson.
Nakala Murry asked her son to call the police about 4 a.m. when the father of one of her other children showed up at her home, Moore said. Two officers went to the home, and one kicked the front door before Murry opened it. She told them the man causing a disturbance had left the home, but three children were inside, Moore said.
According to Murry, Capers yelled into the home and said anyone inside should come out with their hands up, Moore said. He said Aderrien walked into the living room with nothing in his hands, and Capers shot him in the chest.
Murry has filed a federal lawsuit against Indianola, the police chief and Capers. The lawsuit, which seeks at least $5 million, says Indianola failed to properly train the officer and that Capers used excessive force. Murry also filed an affidavit, reviewed by The Associated Press, calling for criminal charges against Capers. That affidavit will be considered at an Oct. 2 probable cause hearing in the Sunflower County Circuit Court.
"This is only the beginning," Murry said in a written statement. "I look forward to seeing Greg Capers terminated, and never allowed to work for law enforcement again."
- In:
- Mississippi
- Politics
- Crime
- Shootings
veryGood! (4)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- 2 small planes crash in Nebraska less than half an hour apart and kill at least 1 person
- Ranking the 10 toughest college football schedules starting with Florida, USC
- Kelly Monaco Leaving General Hospital After 21 Years
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- 'Gossip Girl' actor Ed Westwick marries 'Supergirl' star Amy Jackson in Italy
- Mariah Carey’s mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her ‘heart is broken’
- 'Gossip Girl' actor Ed Westwick marries 'Supergirl' star Amy Jackson in Italy
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Man dies on river trip at Grand Canyon; 5th fatality in less than a month
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Former WWE champion Sid Eudy, also known as 'Sycho Sid,' dies at 63, son says
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys reach four-year, $136 million contract to end standoff
- State trooper among 11 arrested in sex sting
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- The Daily Money: Will new real estate rules hurt Black buyers?
- Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion is back: Here's how long it's available
- Danny Jansen makes MLB history by appearing in same game for both teams
Recommendation
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Man charged in Arkansas grocery store shooting sued by woman who was injured in the attack
3 Utah hikers drown after whirlpool forms in canyon in California's Sierra Nevada range
Opening day of Burning Man marred by woman's death, harsh weather conditions
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Two workers killed in an explosion at Delta Air Lines facility in Atlanta
Blake Shelton and Dolly Parton Prove They'll Always Love the Late Toby Keith With Emotional Tributes
'Give him a push': Watch beachgoers help stranded shark back into the water in Nantucket