by Stacy Jackson
April 6, 2024
Nakala Murry was charged with child neglect after her son was shot by Mississippi officer Greg Capers in May 2023.
Nakala Murry, the mother of 11-year-old Aderrien Murry, who was shot and killed by Indianola Police Officer Greg Capers last year, now faces losing custody of her children because of new allegations.
Court documents filed by Sunflower County Prosecutor Gwendolyn Jimison cite the shooting incident while accusing Nakala of neglecting her three children. According to the Mississippi Free Press, the petition claims that an unnamed witness observed Nakala's ex-boyfriend, John Nolden, frequently attacking her in front of the children. It says: “…the shooting of Aderrien was a result of the domestic violence between mother and boyfriend that had been going on for years.”
However, Nakala's attorney, Carlos Moore, believes the efforts to terminate custody are unwarranted, stating, “The problem is that the ex-boyfriend is not the one who shot the boy; It's the cop.” Moore stressed, “Nobody had been shot before the cop came,” and pointed to Caper's apology last year, which said he “didn't mean to shoot the kid.”
The incident occurred on May 20, 2023, after Aderrien was punched in the chest by Capers, who was responding to a home call from the child involving his mother and Nolden. As previously covered by BLACK COMPANYCapers reportedly “arrived at the front door with his gun drawn and ordered the occupants of the home to come outside.” As the child walked around the corner, the officer fired the shot.
While Indianola's 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 said. Nakala is scheduled to appear in Sunflower County Juvenile Court on April 17 to defend her parental rights over her three children. Nolden, the father of one of Aderrien's siblings, also faces custody proceedings.
BE noted that a lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Aderrien and his mother alleged that Capers was “reckless” and that “injuries…could have been avoided if the defendants…had received appropriate training.”
Miraculously, the boy survived after being rushed to hospital, where doctors located the bullet that collapsed his lung and damaged his liver.