Boy, 11, Shot in Chest by Mississippi Police Officer After Calling 911 for Help Credits ‘Grace of God’ for Surviving

Aderrien Murry. (Courtesy of Nakala Murry via AP)

An 11-year-old boy who was shot by a police officer at his home in Mississippi after calling law enforcement for help says he believes it is “because of the grace of God” that he is still alive today.

Aderrien Murry was shot in the chest by Indianola Police Department officer Greg Capers in the early hours of the morning on May 20 as the officer responded to a domestic disturbance at the home.

The young boy had called 911 at the request of his mother, Nakala, after her daughter’s father had knocked on her window at 4 a.m. and appeared to be “irate.”

However, things took a turn when police arrived on the scene and the young boy was subsequently shot in the chest, leaving him with a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver from the shooting.

Incredibly, the boy survived and was later released from hospital.

Speaking to CNN on May 30, young Aderrien explained how he thought he would die after being shot and began singing the Bible verse, Isaiah 54:17: “No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper” in the moments after the incident.

Nightmares After Shooting

He also apologized to his mother for any of his bad behavior in the past and asked that she say sorry to his teacher for any time he was “bad” in class.

While he survived the incident, the young boy revealed he has been suffering nightmares from the shooting.

“Sometimes, I can see myself laying inside the coffin. Those are my thoughts at night, my only ones,” he said. “Sometimes I think people are watching me. But my main thought is me dead, inside the coffin.”

Aderrien’s mother told ABC News that two officers responded to her home in Indianola after she directed her son to call them over fears for her family’s safety when her daughter’s father arrived at the home.

When the officers arrived, she said one had a gun drawn and asked the family to open the door. However, her daughter’s father asked her not to open the door and proceeded to run to the back of the home, at which point police began attempting to kick the door in, she said.

Her son was shot coming around the corner of a hallway into the living room, she said.

“I went out; I got out of the way. I walked out toward the end of my driveway, where my mom was. And I heard a shot and I saw my son run out toward where we were,” she said, recalling the shooting.

Family Files $5 Million Lawsuit

Aderrien’s family has since filed a lawsuit against the city of Indianola, Indianola Police Chief Ronald Sampson, Officer Greg Capers, and others—referred to as John Does—seeking at least $5 million in damages, Carlos Moore, an attorney for Aderrien’s family, confirmed. 

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. It claims excessive force, negligence, and a violation of Aderrien’s constitutional rights, among others.

Plaintiffs are seeking damages for Aderrien’s injuries, pain and suffering, and emotional distress as well as punitive damages against the officer and the city.

During the same interview Tuesday, Nakala Murry called for Officer Capers to be fired and for better training among police officers. She has also asked for body camera footage of the incident to be released.

“I’m angry, but I’m so overfilled with joy to have my child that I don’t have time to be angry; I trust in the law that they will make the right decision,” she said. “Something has to be done.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is probing the incident.

Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone told CNN that he needs to know “all the facts” before he can support Officer Capers’ firing, noting that he has not yet reviewed the body camera footage or spoken to the officer, who has since been placed on administrative leave.

The Epoch Times has contacted Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone’s office for further comment.