An 11-year-old boy was shot by a police officer in Mississippi on Saturday 20th May 2023 after he had called 911 for assistance.
The incident has sparked calls for the officer’s firing and criminal charges from the boy’s family.
According to Nakala Murry, the boy’s mother, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the shooting occurred when an officer from the Indianola Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance call at their residence.
Concerned for her safety after the arrival of the father of one of her other children, Murry asked her son, Aderrien, to call the police.
Murry reported that the officer arrived at their home with his gun drawn, requesting those inside to come out. As Aderrien rounded a corner in the hallway, entering the living room, he was shot by the officer.
Murry expressed her confusion and disbelief at the incident, stating that her son followed the officer’s instructions but was still shot.
Aderrien repeatedly asked why he had been shot and what he had done wrong.
The shooting occurred within one to two minutes after the officer had instructed the occupants to exit the house, said Murry.
Aderrien sustained severe injuries, including a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver, resulting from the gunshot. He was promptly transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, where he underwent surgery, including the insertion of a chest tube and reliance on a ventilator.
Aderrien was released from the hospital on Wednesday 24th May 2023.
Apart from Aderrien, two other children, including Murry’s daughter and a two-year-old nephew, were in the house during the shooting.
Carlos Moore, an attorney representing the boy’s family, stated that this incident should never have occurred, emphasising Aderrien’s physical, emotional, and mental pain resulting from the incident.
On Thursday 25th May 2023, a group of protesters gathered at Indianola City Hall to rally for accountability in the shooting of the unarmed 11-year-old boy, with calls for the officer’s dismissal and criminal charges to be filed.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has initiated an investigation into the incident. and confirmed that no officers were harmed, but a minor residing in the house sustained significant injuries and was taken to a local hospital. They will share their findings with the Attorney General’s Office upon completion of their investigation.
At the time of reporting, neither the state agency nor the Indianola Police Department disclosed the identity of the officer involved. However, it was revealed that an officer, Greg Capers, has been placed on paid administrative leave following a unanimous vote by the Indianola council, according to Indianola Alderman Marvin Elder. The city attorney, to whom inquiries about the incident were referred, did not respond to requests for comment.
