Confronting bodycam footage shows the moment a black 11-year-old boy was shot in the chest by police despite having his hands up.
Aderrien Murry was woken around 4 a.m. on May 20 by the sound of his mother's ex-boyfriend acting threateningly, so she asked him to call the police.
When officers arrived moments later, Aderrien said he was asked to leave his room and when he did, he was shot.
He was hospitalized for five days with a collapsed lung, a lacerated liver and broken ribs as a result of the gunshot wound to his chest.
Footage, made public after the city tried for months to block the release, shows police officer Greg Capers arriving at the door of the home in Indianola, Mississippi.
Aderrien Murry, 11, was shot in the chest by police at his home in Indianola, Mississippi, last May, despite holding his arms up
Mississippi police officer Greg Capers was suspended without pay after the shooting, but was reinstated when a grand jury declined to indict him
With his gun drawn, he banged on the door several times, demanding that everyone inside come out.
Aderrien's mother, Nakala Murry, was the first out the door, stepping out with her hands raised.
Capers asked her where her ex-boyfriend was and she claims to have told him the man was gone and there were three children in the house.
However, this was not captured on video and her answer to the police officer's question was incomprehensible on the footage.
Capers shouted “Come out sir, don't let us come in,” seemingly believing the suspect was still inside, and quickly walked through the door.
Seconds later, Aderrien emerged from a hallway with his hands up and was immediately shot by Capers as he came into view.
Capers shouted “oh my god” and called for medical help as he begged Aderrien not to move after he stood up and ran past him out the door.
Aderrien survived but suffered serious injuries and had to undergo costly medical treatment.
He said it felt like being hit by a Taser or hit hard in the chest when he was shot.
Aderrien's mother, Nakala Murry, was the first out the door, stepping out with her hands raised
Capers walked into the house with his gun drawn and seconds later shot Aderrien as he emerged from the hallway with his hands up.
Aderrien's attorney Carlos Moore said the release of the bodycam footage was important for transparency surrounding the case.
“The city of Indianola fought hard to prevent the release of the body camera footage of Officer Greg Capers shooting my unarmed client,” he said.
“I think they forgot that the MBI investigation was over and the media could understand it.”
A Sunflower County grand jury declined to bring charges against Capers last month, ruling he had no criminal intent and had no case to answer.
The Mississippi Attorney General's Office said no further state-level criminal action would be taken against Capers.
The Murrys filed a civil lawsuit in May against Capers, the city of Indianola, and its police chief, seeking $5 million in damages for Capers' alleged “reckless disregard” for the family's rights and safety.
“Although the grand jury has spoken, we firmly believe that there are unanswered questions and that the shooting of Aderrien Murry was not justified,” Moore said at the time.
“We are committed to seeking justice for Aderrien and his family.”
Aderrien said the bullet “felt like a Taser, like a big hit in the chest” and believed he would die
Aderrien was hospitalized for five days with a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and broken ribs as a result of the gunshot wound to his chest
Capers' attorney said the release of the video was unexpected and they would not comment due to the ongoing litigation.
The police officer, who was named Indianola's top officer in 2021, was placed on unpaid administrative leave in June and was only reinstated following the grand jury's decision.
Aderrien described last year how he thought he was going to die after being shot and kept himself alive by praying and singing.
“I came out with this,” he said with his arms raised during an interview with ABC news. “It felt like a taser, like a big blow to the chest.”
'I was bleeding, bleeding from my mouth. Then I just remembered I was singing a song.”
Nakala Murry said she gave her son the phone and asked him to call his grandmother after she said they woke up, heard a knock on the window and saw her ex-boyfriend standing outside.
'I noticed he was a little angry. And having dealt with him in the past, I know the angry version of him, where this could lead,” she says told Good Morning America.
Aderrien called 911 and his grandmother, who in turn also called 911.
Aderrien Murry was woken at around 4am on May 20 by the sound of his mother's ex-boyfriend behaving threateningly outside the house (pictured), so he was asked to call the police
Aderrien's lawyer Carlos Moore (right) said the release of the bodycam footage was important for transparency surrounding the case
Nakala claimed that when Capers arrived, he “pulled his gun at the front door and asked those in the house to come out.”
“One time he was like, come out with your hands up, and that's when my son came out,” she said.
She said she placed her hand on her son's wound to apply pressure as he “sang gospel songs and prayed as he bled.”
“He said, 'I don't want to die,' that's what he said,” his mother said. “I said, 'You're not going to die, baby, you're not going to die, just keep talking.'”
Nakala said Capers also tried to help by putting his hand on hers to try to stop Aderrien's bleeding.