On Saturday, May 20, an 11-year-old Black boy became yet another victim of a police shooting.
The shooting occurred in Indianola, Mississippi, after the boy, Aderrien Murry, called 911 to help out his mom. She was being threatened by an angry former boyfriend, and had instructed Aderrien to call both his grandmother and the police.
Although details are limited, it seems that when police arrived, they broke down the door and ordered everyone to present themselves with hands up. According to his mother, Aderrien came out with nothing in his hands, yet was immediately shot by Greg Capers, who is also Black. He was hit in the chest, and sustained a collapsed lung, a lacerated liver, and broken ribs. After five days in the hospital, he is now back home and recovering.
This shooting is yet another example of the almost constant violence dished out by police on unarmed civilians, particularly those who are Black. It is also another example of how the race of the cop does not protect us from racist violence. Whether Black, white, Hispanic or Asian-American, cops consistently use far more force than necessary. This is also an example of how the victim’s age does not protect them from use of force by police. An 11-year-old! Really?
There have been protests in the town of Indianola, and we should all be outraged by the reckless violence of the police!
