INDIANOLA, Miss — The Indianola, Mississippi, police officer who shot an 11-year-old boy after responding to a 911 call the boy made, has been suspended without pay effective immediately, Indianola Alderman Marvin Elder told ABC News Tuesday.
Elder said Officer Greg Capers was suspended after a four to one vote by the town's Board of Aldermen Monday Night.
The family of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry said police shot him Saturday morning, May 20, 2023, during a domestic call. The boy's mom said her daughter's father showed up, which is why police were called to the family home.
Nakala Murry Told ABC News the father arrived at her home at 4 a.m. Saturday.
"My son was in his room. I heard a knock on my window. It was my child's father,” she said.
Concerned for her safety, she said she told Aderrien to call police. She said when officers arrived at her home, one had his gun drawn and ordered those inside the home to come outside.
"I walked towards the end of my driveway where my mom was. And I heard a shot and I saw my son run out towards where we were. He ran from the inside of the house all the way to where we were in this one. He fell, bleeding, shot and I put pressure on the-I put pressure on it to stop, help stop the bleeding,” said Murry.
In a press conference, the family said the boy was unarmed and after an officer shot, he asked his mom "why did he shoot me?"
The family filed a lawsuit May 30, naming the City of Indianola, Indianola Police Chief Ronald Sampson, and Sgt. Greg Capers, the officer who shot the boy. Murry’s family and attorney Carlos Moore are demanding that the Indianola police chief and the officer who shot Aderrien be terminated, and they want bodycam video of the shooting be released to the public.
Capers' attorney, Michael S. Carr, said the shooting was not intentional, and Capers did not mean to hurt the child.
He also claims Capers wasn’t given due process by the city board that voted to suspend him and that he found out about his suspension on social media.
He said that they want the MBI to release the body camera video which will unequivocally clear his name and Officer Capers is looking forward to resolving this matter.
Carr also said that Officer Capers never had a complaint in 4 years, never fired his gun in the line of duty before this incident and that he received the Officer of the year award in 2021.
“Officer Capers responded to an awful domestic situation and he knew the child, he didn’t want to hurt him,” Carr said.
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation announced it is examining the shooting, as it does most shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin said last week that the department would not comment on the investigation as it continues, and MBI agents will share their findings with the state attorney general's office.