National

The Mississippi police officer who shot an 11-year-old is now suspended without pay

by Jonathan Franklin

The Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded the unarmed boy has been suspended without pay during an investigation, a city official said. Here, this December 2022 photo provided by Nakala Murry shows her 11-year-old son Aderrien Murry, who was shot and wounded by an Indianola, Miss., Police Department officer on May 20, 2023, during a domestic disturbance call at the family's home.
AP
The Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded the unarmed boy has been suspended without pay during an investigation, a city official said. Here, this December 2022 photo provided by Nakala Murry shows her 11-year-old son Aderrien Murry, who was shot and wounded by an Indianola, Miss., Police Department officer on May 20, 2023, during a domestic disturbance call at the family's home.

The Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded an 11-year-old boy in his home after he called authorities for help was suspended without pay — effective immediately, according to officials.

In a Monday night board meeting, the Indianola Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 to suspend Sgt. Greg Capers without pay "effective immediately," Alderman Marvin Elder told The Associated Press.

Both the Indianola Police Department and the attorney representing Capers did not respond to NPR's immediate request for comment. Capers' attorney, Michael Carr, told the AP that the board's vote took place in a "closed-door, unnoticed" meeting without either him or Capers being notified.

"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."

The move from the Board of Aldermen comes nearly a month after 11-year-old Aderrien Murry was left seriously injured after Capers shot him in the chest responding to a 911 call Murry had made.

Murry has since been recovering from his injuries — which include a collapsed lung, a fractured rib and a lacerated liver.

Murry's family filed a $5 million federal lawsuit last month, which argues that the police officers who responded to the domestic disturbance call acted in a way that was "so outrageous that it shocks the moral and legal conscience of the community."

The lawsuit filed by the family names the city of Indianola, Miss., and the two police officials, as the defendants.

The suit seeks at least $5 million in damages, accusing the police department of gross negligence and reckless disregard, in addition to failing to properly train and supervise its officers.

Additionally, the family has called for Capers and Indianola Police Chief Ronald Sampson to be fired. They also have asked for body camera footage of the incident to be released.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the shooting.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

300x250 Ad

300x250 Ad

Support quality journalism, like the story above, with your gift right now.

Donate