The family of an 11-year-old shot by police in Mississippi plans to sue

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting of an 11-year-old by police. The boy was the one who called 911 but ended up shot and wounded by an officer.

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The family of an 11-year-old Black boy from Mississippi is demanding action after he was shot in the chest by a police officer on Saturday. He has been released from the hospital. Michael Guidry with Mississippi Public Broadcasting reports on what is next for his family.

MICHAEL GUIDRY, BYLINE: Outside Indianola City Hall on Thursday, the mother of Aderrien Murry was flanked by supporters holding signs that read, release body cam footage.

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NAKALA MURRY: He told me to get him justice. Those were his words.

GUIDRY: As Nakala Murray tells it, last weekend she asked her son to call police because of an intruder in their home. When the officers arrived, the intruder had left. One officer yelled for anyone else in the house to come out. That’s when the 11-year-old was shot. Attorney Carlos Moore is representing Murry and his family.

CARLOS MOORE: What we do know is he obeyed the officer’s command. He came out of his room with nothing in his hands and was shot. He was not a threat to anyone. He was just obeying a command.

GUIDRY: Aderrien Murry was hospitalized five days for a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs as a result of the gunshot wound. He also had a lot of questions, Moore says.

MOORE: He keeps asking over and over why the officer did this, what did he do wrong, and I keep telling him, his mother keeps telling him, he did nothing wrong, and we don’t know why. We’ve asked the city why. The city hasn’t told us why. The officer hasn’t told us why.

GUIDRY: Moore says he and the family have three demands – first, the termination of Sergeant Greg Capers, who fired the shot. They also want a criminal prosecution and immediate release of the body cam footage. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has the video and is reviewing the incident. It’s standard policy for most police-involved shootings in the state. Moore says the lead agent told him they won’t release the tape until the investigation is complete.

MOORE: That’s not acceptable to the family. We need answers sooner than later. This young boy and his family is – are traumatized, and they need answers sooner than later.

GUIDRY: Moore says he plans to file a suit in federal court on Tuesday. For NPR News, I’m Michael Guidry in Jackson, Miss.

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