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The Mississippi police officer who shot an unarmed 11-year-old boy in the chest will not face criminal charges, according to CBS News. A Sunflower County grand jury has declined to indict Indianola Police Sgt. Greg Capers for shooting Aderrien Murry while responding to a domestic disturbance in May, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office announced on Thursday (December 14).
"While the grand jury has spoken, we firmly believe that there are unanswered questions and that the shooting of Aderrien Murry was not justified," Carlos Moore, who's representing the boy's family, said in a statement. "We are committed to seeking justice for Aderrien and his family."
On May 20, Nakala Murry, Aderrien's mother, told reporters she asked her 11-year-old son to call 911 after the father of one of her other children showed up at their house. Capers was one of two police officers who responded to the call, but the father reportedly left by the time they arrived on the scene.
Capers shouted for anyone inside the home to come out with their hands up, according to Moore. The attorney said Aderrien walked out with nothing in his hands, and Capers shot him in the chest. The shooting left Murry hospitalized with a collapsed lung, lacerated liver, and fractured ribs, reporters learned.
Moore said Aderrien's family has viewed the body camera footage from the incident, but a magistrate judge has blocked the video's release to the public.
Capers was suspended without pay in June, and the Indianola Board of Aldermen would have to vote to take him off administrative leave if the police officer wants to return to work. Michael Carr, Capers' attorney, told CBS News Thursday (December 14) that his client is "relieved at the result, and he is glad that the citizens of Sunflower County reached the fair and correct result."
The Murry family has filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against Indianola, the police chief, and Capers. According to WJTV, they also plan on filing another lawsuit next month in Sunflower County Circuit Court.
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