Family members of Aderrien Murry, an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by police after calling 911, claim the boy was shot without warning after he and his family members were ordered to leave their house.
They are now suing the city of Indianola– along with the police officers they say are responsible– for $5 million.
“This is a claim for negligence and excessive force,” said the complaint filed in federal court in Mississippi on behalf of Aderrien and his mother.
“The injuries endured by all plaintiffs could have been avoided if defendants would have acquired the adequate training on how to provide proper assistance and care,” the lawsuit said, according to ABC News. “However, as a result of the defendants’ deliberate indifference, reckless disregard and gross negligence, plaintiffs sustained injuries and damages.”
According to court documents filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Aderrien was turning a corner in the hallway when Greg Capers, one of the responding officers, shot him “instantly” after police were called to the home at about 4 a.m. on May 20 to investigate reports of a domestic disturbance.
Nakala Murry, Aderrien’s mother, told reporters that she gave her son her cell phone and urged him to call both Murry’s mother and the police after the father of Murry’s daughter visited unexpectedly and was said to be “irate.”
“He was trying to help protect his mom,” said the family’s lawyer, Carlos Moore, adding that Aderrien told the 911 dispatcher that the man did not have a gun and that there were children in the house.
As Moore told CNN, “[t]his 11-year-old child was about 4 feet 10 it looks like and so he could not have been confused. So we don’t know what happened, but we do know this officer’s actions were reckless, very reckless, and could have led to the loss of life.”
As per CNN, a hospital spokesperson reported that Aderrien “was seriously injured and suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver from the shooting.”
The lawsuit says that there have been multiple complaints filed against Capers for the use of excessive force and abuse, and the plaintiffs will demonstrate an established pattern.