‘Robbed of his innocence’: Family sues after 11-year-old is shot by police

Family of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry file lawsuit against Miss. police - The Washington Post

After Aderrien Murry was shot by an officer who had responded to a 911 call to his home this month, the 11-year-old ran to his mother for help and began to sing, he recalled Tuesday in an interview with “ Good Morning America.”

In the segment, Aderrien, who is Black, recounted the moment he was shot as he ran out of his Indianola, Miss., home with his hands up. It felt like he was struck by “a Taser, like a big punch to the chest,” the boy said.

Aderrien’s mother on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the officer accused of shooting her son, the police chief, the city of Indianola and other, unidentified officers. The complaint states that the May 20 incident that left Aderrien in the hospital for four days with a collapsed lung and other injuries could have been avoided if officers had been trained on “how to provide proper assistance and care.”

Carlos Moore, an attorney for the family, said Aderrien “did everything right, not one thing wrong” when he came out of the house, unarmed and with his hands up, after police arrived to investigate a domestic disturbance.

Appearing on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday allowed him to publicly share his story for the first time, his family’s lawyer said.

“His voice is so powerful at this moment because he’s the innocent child,” Moore told The Washington Post. “And he’s been robbed of his innocence.”

The Indianola Police Department referred a request for comment to Police Chief Ronald Sampson, who was not available for an interview Tuesday evening. Sampson told the local Enterprise-Tocsin newspaper last week that the incident was “extremely tragic, on both sides.”

On May 20, around 4 a.m., Aderrien’s mother, Nakala Murry, became frightened when the father of one of her children arrived unexpectedly. He was “irate,” the lawsuit says.

Feeling anxious as she left him in the living room, Murry was walking to the bathroom when she saw Aderrien was awake, peeking out from under his bed covers, she told “Good Morning America” in a separate interview last week. She gave Aderrien a cellphone to call for help.

Shortly after he called, police officers arrived and one of them, Greg Capers, yelled for everyone in the home to come outside, saying he had a firearm drawn, according to the lawsuit. When Aderrien came running from around the corner of a hallway, Capers “instantly” shot him, according to the complaint, which alleges that Capers did not assess the situation before using his firearm.

Aderrien ran to his mother, who was outside.

“You’re not going to die, baby,” she replied. “Just keep talking.”

According to the lawsuit, Aderrien suffered a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs. He was placed on a ventilator and given a chest tube before he was released on May 24.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has started a probe into the incident and said the city’s board of aldermen voted to place Capers, who is Black, on paid administrative leave, Moore said. It is unclear whether Capers has an attorney.

The lawsuit requests a trial by jury and $5 million in damages.

“Someone has to be held accountable,” Moore said. “This officer has to be charged criminally, and he has to be terminated and the city has to pay this family for what was done.”

In his interview with “Good Morning America,” Aderrien said he previously wanted to become a police officer but changed his mind after the shooting. He now wants to be a doctor, or maybe a lawyer — people who “he thinks are doing things to help him, he wants to become like them,” Moore said.

Beyond their own case, Aderrien and his family hope to see reform on a broader level, Moore said, in particular because Black people are disproportionately affected by police violence.

Aderrien is prepared to talk with state and national lawmakers about the experience, he said.

“He wants to use his voice,” Moore said. “And we’re going to help him do that.”

Timothy Bella contributed to this report.