Three Jackson police officers were indicted Monday in the death of Keith Murriel, a man who died in police custody after being tased several times.
Jackson’s mayor has released body cam footage of the encounter, which took place on New Year’s Eve. JPD Officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land were accused of tasing Murriel more than 80 times.
Then-Chief James Davis’ initial statement was that Murriel had died of a medical emergency. Mayor Antar Lumumba then voiced his displeasure with the statement, and condemned the actions of the officers. He has called them “excessive, disheartening, and tragic.”
On the heels of the release of the videos, JPD released the following statement:
“Due to pending litigation the Jackson Police department is unable to comment further in relation to the incident involving three former officers on December 31, 2022. This case will now make it’s way through the judicial system. We continue to hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to serving the residents of Jackson.”
In the press conference held Wednesday, Interim Police Chief Joseph Wade said, “I would ask of the citizens of Jackson to continue to support the dedicated, hard-working men and women of the Jackson Police Department who put their lives on the line every single day. We will continue to be transparent. We will continue to have accountability measures in place, not only from the bottom up but from the top down as we move forward.”
Links to the videos were sent to news directors at local media outlets. Darkhorse Press has reached out to be added to the mailing list, and to receive the video links as well.
