A Mississippi grand jury has decided not to bring charges against a police officer who shot and injured an unarmed 11-year-old boy during a response to a domestic dispute call.
Indianola Police Sgt. Greg Capers, who shot Aderrien Murry in the chest on May 20, will not face indictment as the grand jury determined that his actions did not constitute criminal conduct. Murry suffered a collapsed lung, lacerated liver, and fractured ribs from the gunshot wound and spent five days in the hospital.
Sgt. Capers expressed relief at the outcome and is eager to continue serving the citizens of Sunflower County and the city of Indianola. Following the incident, the Indianola Board of Aldermen placed Capers on unpaid administrative leave in June, and he can only return to work if the Board decides to lift the leave.
Indianola, with a population of about 9,300, is located in the rural Mississippi Delta, approximately 95 miles northwest of Jackson.
On the night of the shooting, Nakala Murry had asked her son to call the police around 4 a.m. when the father of one of her other children arrived at her home. According to Murry’s attorney, Carlos Moore, two officers responded, and after Nakala Murry informed them that the man had left, Capers allegedly yelled into the home, ordering anyone inside to come out with their hands up. Aderrien Murry, who had nothing in his hands, walked into the living room, and Capers shot him in the chest.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, responsible for presenting the case to the grand jury, announced the decision. Murry’s family, through their attorney, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and stated their intention to seek accountability through a federal civil lawsuit.
Michael Carr, Capers’ attorney, argued that the officer had suffered personally and financially due to the case and asserted that the grand jury reached the correct decision.
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In response to the incident, the Murry family has filed a federal lawsuit seeking at least $5 million against Indianola, the police chief, and Capers. The lawsuit alleges that Indianola failed to properly train the officer and that Capers used excessive force. With the grand jury’s decision, the Attorney General’s Office stated that no further criminal action at the state level would be taken against Capers.