The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office will not be pursuing a criminal case against an Indianola police officer who is accused of shooting an 11-year-old boy.
Following a Sunflower County grand jury’s ruling that Sgt. Greg Capers had not broken any laws when he shot Aderrien Murry on May 20, the state determined that no further litigation against the officer would ensue.
Carlos Moore, the attorney representing the boy, maintains his argument that the gunfire that ultimately resulted in Murry being temporarily hospitalized was not justified and that he will continue to seek justice for the family.
“While the grand jury has spoken, we firmly believe that there are unanswered questions and that the shooting of Aderrien Murry was not justified,” Moore said. “We are committed to seeking justice for Aderrien and his family, and we will persist in our efforts to ensure accountability through the civil legal process.”
Aderrien Murry was shot by Capers, despite the minor being unarmed and obeying commands with his hands in the air, according to Moore. No stranger to controversy, Capers is accused of tasing and choking an active military member while handcuffed in a separate incident.
On the morning of the shooting, Nakala Murry, Aderrien’s mother, asked her son to call the police around 4:00 a.m. because the father of one of her other children had showed up at her home unannounced.
Moore explained to SuperTalk Mississippi News that, upon arrival, Capers tried to kick in the door of the home before Nakala opened it and proceeded to explain that the unarmed intruder had exited the back of the property.
Capers and another officer — with guns drawn — then ordered all occupants to come out of the house with their hands drawn in the air. As Aderrien rounded a corner into the living room, he was shot by Capers, per Moore.
“He was shot by Greg Capers for simply following orders,” Moore said. “There is no justification. There will never be a justification. I don’t care if they try to prepare a statement or come up with an excuse. This is inexplicable. It will never be justified. It’s senseless.”
Fortunately, the 11-year-old survived the shooting, though he was hospitalized for five days due to a collapsed lung, lacerated liver, and fractured ribs.
Moore said neither he nor the Murry family has heard a thing from the Indianola Police Department or the city’s mayor while the child was in the hospital, which he calls an “insult to injury.”
The attorney added that Aderrien wanted to be a police officer prior to the event, but now has aspirations to pursue a career as a doctor courtesy of the efforts physicians put into saving his life.
On Wednesday, Moore and the Murry family were able to review video footage of the late May shooting. He and Nakala Murry are asking for the video to be released to the public despite it being blocked by Indianola officials.
Murry’s family is still seeking $5 million in restitution from the city for Aderrien’s injuries, though Moore noted that no monetary gains would make up for the trauma the child has endured due to the incident.
The pursuit of what Moore calls justice for the child and family will not end with the grand jury’s decision and the state attorney’s office’s statement, the lawyers emphasized. His legal team plans to continue exhausting all legal avenues available.
