A Black mom in Mississippi is in danger of losing custody of her children after police responded to a domestic dispute in her home and shot her 11-year-old son a year ago.
According to the Mississippi Free Press, on the evening of May 20, 2023, Aderrien heard his mother Nakala Murry crying and asking him to call for help her ex-boyfriend John Nolden showed up at the house. Murry’s attorney, Carlos Moore says when officer Greg Capers arrived at the home, he commanded everyone to put their hands up, and 11-year-old Aderrien walked out with his hands up and was shot in the chest.,
After Aderrien was shot, one of his lungs collapsed, his liver was lacerated, he fractured ribs. He was transported to a hospital in Jackson approximately two hours away, “he was treated with a chest tube and placed on action.” Fortunately, Aderrien survived.
“Murry is being blamed for putting her children in danger by allowing her ex-boyfriend into the home on the night Aderrien was shot in the chest,” WLBT3 reports.
Sunflower County Prosecuting Attorney Gwendolyn Jimison cited the shooting and leveled accusations of neglect against Murry in the court filings.
Per Jimison’s petition, an unnamed witness allegedly observed “Murry’s ex-boyfriend, John Nolden, frequently assaulting her in front of the kids.” The court documents also said the shooting was because “of the mother and boyfriend domestic violence that have been happening for years (sic).”
“The reporter wanted someone to check on the children because something worse can happen next time,” reads the petition.
Moore, the attorney for the Murry family said “If it was really about the best interest of the children, I think this would have been set much sooner, not 11 months later.”
Murry told NPR, that the court filings “caught her off guard.” “As I read what [the petition] said, I was taken aback,” Murry continued. “I feel disgusted.”
“I believe they are just harassing her,” added Moore. “She is a single mother and she does not deserve this pure harassment.”
“He (Aderrien) almost died because of the actions and negligence of Greg Capers,” stated Moore. “Not because of his loving mother trying to protect him. She called the cops.”
The attorney said that “the ex-boyfriend had never harmed the children and Murry had no reason to believe he would hurt them, but called police when she thought the situation would escalate. Moore says she never dreamed that call for help would result in her 11-year-old son being shot by a police officer.”
In May last year, the Murry family filed a $5 million civil lawsuit against the city, the Indianola Police Department and Officer Greg Capers.
A grand jury “determined that there was no criminal conduct on behalf of” Sgt. Greg Capers, the officer who shot Aderrien. Then in December of 2023, “Mississippi State Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced…that her office would take no further action against Capers and no charges would be filed against him.”
Murry’s next court date is scheduled for April 17 where a judge is expected to render a verdict on custody.