A Mississippi police officer who shot and wounded an 11-year-old boy at the boy’s home after he called authorities for help was suspended without pay Monday, a city official said.
The Indianola Board of Aldermen voted to suspend Sgt. Greg Capers without pay «effective immediately» in a 4-1 vote during a board meeting Monday night, Indianola Councilman Marvin Elder said.
The suspension without pay comes weeks after 11-year-old Aderrien Murry was critically injured when he was shot in the chest by Capers after the Indianola Police Department officer responded to a domestic call at the home of the mother of the child.
Police had been called to the home after the father of another child of Nakala Murry, Aderrien’s mother, showed up unexpectedly at the residence around 4 a.m. May 20, according to a $5 million federal civil rights lawsuit. presented last month by the family.
The lawsuit said the man was «liarous» and Murry told Aderrien to call the police.
Capers arrived “with his firearm drawn out front and asked everyone inside the residence to exit,” the lawsuit says.
Carlos Moore, an attorney for the family, said police had been told the man was unarmed and had run out a back door and that there were three children at the residence.
As Aderrien turned the corner into a hallway leading to the living room area, the boy «was instantly shot by Defendant Officer Capers,» according to the lawsuit, and the 11-year-old boy suffered a collapsed lung, lacerated liver and fractured ribs, according to the document.
Aderrien was taken to a hospital and released four days later to recover at home.
In an interview last month with ABC News, the boy said being shot felt like «a Taser, like a big punch to the chest.» He said that after the incident, he still had trouble breathing.
The lawsuit, which named the city of Indianola, Police Chief Ronald Sampson and Capers as defendants, accused Capers of failing to assess the situation before displaying and firing his weapon.
No charges have been filed thus far and Capers was previously on paid administrative leave amid growing calls to have him fired and charged.
The Indianola Police Department and an attorney for Capers did not immediately respond to NBC News’ overnight requests for comment.
Capers’ attorney, Michael Carr, said The Associated Press that the board vote on Monday night took place in a «closed-door, unnoticed» meeting without him or his client being informed.
“This is very upsetting for Sgt. Capers, and he should have been afforded due process,” Carr said. “They have no evidence that Sgt. Capers intentionally shot this young man, which he did not do. Everything that happened was a total and complete accident.”
Carr said the body camera footage would prove Capers did nothing wrong. “I thank God that Sgt. Capers was wearing a body camera,” Carr said.
In addition to the lawsuit filed last month, Murry also filed an affidavit, reviewed by The AP, seeking criminal charges against Capers, the news agency reported. That affidavit is expected to be considered at a probable cause hearing on Oct. 2 in Sunflower County Circuit Court.
“This is just the beginning,” Murry said in a written statement, according to The AP. «I look forward to seeing Greg Capers fired and he never being allowed to work for law enforcement again.»
nicole duarte and The Associated Press contributed.