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Eleven-year-old boy shot by police after mother asked him to call 911 about domestic disturbance

Aderrien Murry is recovering at home after he was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer

Bevan Hurley
Friday 26 May 2023 15:20 BST
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Mother says 11-year-old son shot by police responding to child's call for help

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The family of an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by police after his mother asked him to call 911 to report a domestic incident are calling for the officer to be fired.

Aderrien Murry is recovering at home after he was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer early on Saturday morning.

His mother, Nakala Murry, told a news conference that she asked Aderrien to call police after the father of one of her other children allegedly showed up at her home at 4am in an “irate” mood.

Ms Murry said that an officer arrived at the house with his gun drawn, and called on everyone inside to come out.

She said her son had just walked around a hallway corner and into the living room when he was shot.

Aderrien kept asking “Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?”, Ms Murry said during Monday’s press conference.

She said she applied pressure to the wounds until first responders arrived.

The 11-year-old was rushed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, where he was found to have suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver. 

He was released from hospital on Wednesday, his mother told CNN.

Two other children were inside the home at the time of the shooting, she said.

Aderrien Murry, 11, was shot by police after calling 911 to report a domestic disturbance
Aderrien Murry, 11, was shot by police after calling 911 to report a domestic disturbance (Murry family)

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a statement to The Independent it was investigating the shooting.

Spokesman Bailey Martin said agents would turn over the findings to the Attorney General’s office upon completion of the probe.

The Indianola Police Department is yet to release the bodycam footage from the incident.

It confirmed to CNN that the officer involved in the shooting was Greg Capers, who was previously named the department’s “best officer.”

The Independent did not immediately hear back after contacting the Indianola mayor and police to confirm the officer’s identity.

“This cannot keep happening. This is not OK,” Ms Murry said during Monday’s news conference.

Carlos Moore, the family’s attorney, said Mr Capers had been suspended on Tuesday.

“The family believes this is a step in the right direction but still demands that he be terminated,” Mr Moore said.

The family plans to hold a protest at the Indianola City Hall on Thursday.

Indianola is a small town of about 15,000 residents that lies about 100 miles north of Jackson.

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