Attorney for 11 year-old shooting victims says 'no way' police were mistaken

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - An attorney representing an 11-year-old police shooting victim has dismissed suggestions that the officer could have mistaken the child for an adult when he opened fire.

Aderrien Murry was shot Saturday morning when Indianola Police Department officer Sgt. Greg Capers responded to a domestic disturbance call at Murry's house. Murry was struck in the chest, and is currently recovering after being released from a local hospital. He suffered a collapsed lung as a result of the shooting.

Carlos Moore, Murry's lawyer, said during an interview with CNN Thursday that the boy will require counseling to treat the ongoing trauma he is experiencing.

Murry's mother, Nakala Murry, said she asked her son to call the police after the "irate" father of one of her other children arrived at her home Saturday morning.

Moore said there is "no way" the officer could have mistaken Murry for the "over 6 feet tall" man, demanding a "full and transparent investigation" into the shooting.

"This 11-year-old child was about 4 feet 10 it looks like and so he could not have been confused," he said. "So we don’t know what happened, but we do know this officer’s actions were reckless, very reckless, and could have led to the loss of life."

Moore said Murry "did everything right” when he heeded his mother's instructions to call law enforcement, and after the officer arrived on the scene.

Murry's mother said her son was shot after he heeded Capers' instructions to exit the house.

"Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Murry said. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot. He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’" she said.

Capers, the officer involved in the shooting, has reportedly been suspended without pay while a state investigation into the shooting continues.