Mother Faces Custody Battle After Police Shot Her Son Aderrien Murry In Chest Last Year

Nakala Murry, the mother of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry, who was shot by Indianola Police Officer Greg Capers last year, now faces the prospect of losing custody of her children amid fresh allegations.

Court documents filed by Sunflower County Prosecuting Attorney Gwendolyn Jimison cite the shooting incident while accusing Nakala of neglecting her three children. According to the Mississippi Free Press, the petition alleges that an unnamed witness observed Nakala’s ex-boyfriend, John Nolden, frequently assaulting her in front of the children. It states, “…the shooting of Aderrien was a result of the mother and boyfriend domestic violence that has been happening for years.”

However, Nakala’s attorney, Carlos Moore, argues the custody termination effort is unjustified, stating, “The problem is the ex-boyfriend’s not the one who shot the boy; it’s the cop.” Moore emphasized, “Nobody had been shot before the cop came” and noted Caper’s apology last year, which stated he “did not mean to shoot the child.”

The incident unfolded on May 20, 2023, after Aderrien was struck in the chest by Capers, who had responded to a domestic call made by the child involving his mother and Nolden. As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, reports indicated Capers arrived with “his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside.” As the child walked around a corner, the officer fired the shot.

While the Indianola Board suspended Capers without pay in June 2023, he remains employed after a grand jury declined to indict him in December 2023, the Mississippi Free Press stated. Nakala must appear in Sunflower County Youth Court on April 17 to defend her parental rights over her three children. Nolden, the father of one of Aderrien’s siblings, will also face custody proceedings.

BE noted that a lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Aderrien and his mother alleged Capers was “reckless” and “injuries…could have been avoided if defendants…acquired adequate training.”

Miraculously, the boy survived after being rushed to a hospital where doctors located the bullet that collapsed his lung and damaged his liver.

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