Although discharged from the hospital, 11-year-old Aderrien Murry still feels the effects of being shot by a police officer.
On Tuesday (May 30), Aderrien and his mother, Nakala Murry, sat with CNN’s Nick Valencia to discuss the night that changed his life. When the “irate” father of one of her other children arrived at her home on May 20 at 4 a.m., Nakala asked Aderrien to call the police, and he did. When Officer Greg Capers arrived, he reportedly instructed everyone inside to come out. As Aderrien followed the cop’s directions, Nakala said Capers shot her son. “I just tried to follow the police commands, but I guess that didn’t work,” the child said.
During their conversation, the 11-year-old revealed he began singing Fred Hammond’s “No Weapon” because he thought he would die. His mother applied pressure to his wound as he asked her to tell his teacher and family members that he was “sorry for what he did.”
The 11-year-old boy who was shot by a Mississippi police officer after he called 911 for help said he “just tried to follow the police commands but I guess that didn’t work”
https://t.co/jWHxCGEEMR pic.twitter.com/slqWS2q7W7
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 1, 2023
Once first responders arrived, they transported Aderrien to a local hospital. Doctors later released the young, Black Mississippi resident despite needing to be placed on a ventilator. However, flashes of the night an officer shot him still have their effects. “Sometimes, I can see myself laying inside the coffin. Those are my thoughts at night, my only ones,” Aderrien shared. “Sometimes, I think people are watching me. But my main thought is me dead, inside the coffin.”
He informed the outlet that parts of his body still hurt, and he has trouble breathing. At the time, he noted he couldn’t run or jump but knew he was alive “because of the grace of God.” “I think God has a plan for me,” he added.
The Indianola Police Department later identified Capers as the officer who shot Aderrien in the chest. After the shooting, the Indianola Council placed him on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing. On the day of the 11-year-old’s interview, Nakala filed a $5 million lawsuit against Capers, the City of Indianola, Mississippi, its police chief, and several other cops.