(NEW YORK) — The attorney for Greg Capers, the Mississippi police officer who was suspended for shooting and injuring 11-year-old Aderrien Murry, says the May 20 incident was unintentional.
“The shooting was not intentional, it was not reckless, and [Capers] wishes none of this happened. It was a pure accident,” attorney Michael S. Carr told ABC News’ GMA3 co-anchor DeMarco Morgan in an interview that aired on Good Morning America on Wednesday.
Aderrien was shot in the chest by Capers in the early morning of May 20 after the boy called 911 when his mother’s ex-boyfriend showed up at their home. The boy’s mother, Nakala Murry, said she asked Aderrien to call police.
Following the shooting, Aderrien was rushed to the hospital where doctors discovered a bullet had collapsed his lung and cut his liver, according to the Murry family. Aderrien has since been released from the hospital.
Capers has not spoken publicly about the incident, instead speaking to ABC News through his attorney.
“Officer Capers is absolutely sorry. As to what happened to the young man is very, very sorry, and his feelings go out to the family,” Carr said.
Carr said that Capers has been with the Indianola Police Department for four years and was named officer of the year in 2021. He said that Capers “knew the child” prior to the incident because Indianola is a small town and he never wanted to hurt him.
Asked what led to the shooting, Carr declined to provide further details but called for the release of the body camera footage, claiming that it would clear the officer’s name.
Aderrien spoke about the harrowing experience in an exclusive interview with Morgan that aired on GMA and GMA3 on May 30.
“I came out of the room like this,” Aderrien said with his hands above his head as he reflected on the incident in an interview with GMA3 co-anchor DeMarco Morgan.
“It felt like a Taser, like a big punch to the chest,” he added.
Following the incident, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation.
Asked about the timeline of the investigation and the potential release of the body camera footage, the MBI told ABC News that this is an ongoing investigation and that the results will be turned over to the Mississippi Attorney General’s office. The state AG’s office did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Capers was initially suspended with pay, according to Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone, but on Monday the Indianola Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 to suspend the officer “without pay effective immediately,” according to Alderman Marvin Elder of Ward 4.
Carr said that Capers found out about the suspension on social media and was not given due process.
“We wish that the city would have given us an opportunity to speak on the issue,” he said.
The officer’s suspension came after the Murry family filed both a federal civil lawsuit and a criminal complaint against the officer.
The criminal complaint for aggravated assault was filed against Capers on June 5 by Nakala Murry.
Carr said that the affidavit is “flawed and inaccurate” and the next step is a probable cause hearing scheduled for Oct. 2.
The Murry family also filed a federal lawsuit on May 30 against the city and police in Mississippi federal court on behalf of Aderrien and his mother. The lawsuit, which ABC News has reviewed, alleges that Capers arrived at the home with his firearm drawn and that he fired at Aderrien without warning as the boy emerged from the room.
“This is a claim for negligence and excessive force,” said the complaint, which named the city of Indianola, Capers, Police Chief Ronald Sampson and John Does.
The lawsuit said, “… as a result of the defendants’ deliberate indifference, reckless disregard and gross negligence, plaintiffs sustained injuries and damages.”
The Indianola Police Department and the city of Indianola did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment. ABC News has also attempted to reach the two other officers named in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Carr disputed the allegation that the shooting was “reckless” and called on the MBI to release the body camera video of the incident, which he claims will clear Capers’ name.
“[Officer Capers] is ready to have his name cleared,” Carr said.
Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone addressed the “public outcry” over the incident in an interview with ABC News on May 30 and urged the residents of Indianola to remain “patient” as the MBI investigates.
Asked about a timeline for the release of the body camera video, Featherstone said that the city had a special meeting on the incident with the city aldermen and they decided not to release it yet due to “pending litigation.”
“We didn’t want to taint the process at all,” he said. “The board voted overwhelmingly to follow the advice of legal counsel.”
Featherstone didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Capers’ comments Wednesday.
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