An officer with the Indianola Police Department in Mississippi made what can only be described as a horrible and near fatal mistake. They shot 11-year-old Aderrien Murry in the chest early Saturday morning. The young man is recovering at home after being released from the hospital but he won’t be anywhere close to normal ever again. Physically or mentally. One thing is certain, he’ll never trust a cop after this.
Near fatal mistake
The only reason the word mistake is being used is because this tragedy doesn’t appear to be intentional. Police were at the right house but what happened after they got there remains more than a little confusing. The public has nothing to go on except speculation as to “why” the shooting happened but from what is known of the “how,” the prevailing theory is that this has something to do with lowered standards when hiring recruits.
Many precincts have been forced to do that in order to make up for the chronic staffing shortages. Someone’s training also appears to have been criminally deficient. This is one of those big stories that will be with us for a while, as the “whole truth” comes out in drips.
11-year-old Aderrien Murry from Mississippi called the police because his momma was having an argument with his father, he called the police to come to help his momma. Instead, police came in and shot him, they shot the 11-year-old child. pic.twitter.com/ZvBfrOF9N5
— 🥀_ Imposter 🥀 (@Imposter_Edits) May 25, 2023
An attorney for the family released a statement noting the boy and his parents are demanding “a full and transparent investigation” of the shooting. He was the one who called 911 begging for help and ended up nearly murdered by the police. The family is convinced that the trigger happy officer should “be fired and charged with the shooting.”
Aderrien, family attorney Carlos Moore relates, “is traumatized and will require counseling.” It may have been a mistake but there was negligence involved and someone needs to be held responsible. “No child should ever be subjected to such violence at the hands of those who are sworn to protect and serve,” the attorney adds.
“We must demand justice for this young boy and his family. We cannot allow another senseless tragedy like this to occur. We must come together as a community to demand change and accountability from our law enforcement officials.”
He’s absolutely right. This mistake was totally preventable. The pre-teen was “was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer early Saturday morning while the officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call at the child’s home.”
Circumstances under investigation
According to the child’s mother, Nakala Murry, the whole thing started when “the ‘irate‘ father of another of her children arrived at her home at 4 a.m. Saturday.” She asked Aderrien to call the police. When the officer arrived, he allegedly “had his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside.”
She went on out. Her son was coming around the corner from a hallway into the living room and the cop apparently started blasting for no reason. The current story is that he thought he shot the violent adult they were there to have a chat with. That was a big mistake but not the only one.
The youngster wasn’t any threat and certainly didn’t have a chance. “Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” his mother relates.
My client Aderrien Murry is blessed to be home and alive. He’s a remarkable young man and did not deserve to be shot as a 11 year old innocent child by an Indianola cop named Greg Capers. #JusticeForAderrienMurry pic.twitter.com/HzxrTRuJpW
— Attorney Carlos Moore (@Esquiremoore) May 25, 2023
“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?‘” The whole thing was over within two minutes of her answering the door. The victim might have been shot by mistake but he was bleeding out on the floor.
Aderrien suffered “a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver from the shooting.” In a recent update, the department identified the officer involved is “named Greg Capers but did not provide any additional details on the shooting.”
It was a mistake and that’s all they’re saying until the investigation unwinds. They’re sketchy about releasing the body cam video but lawyers are expected to break that loose soon.
