Body-cam footage shows indicted ex-police officers laughing at man who died in custody

May 25, 2023, 4:13 PM

This image provided by the Jackson (Miss.) Police Department shows Keith Murriel. A Mississippi gra...

This image provided by the Jackson (Miss.) Police Department shows Keith Murriel. A Mississippi grand jury has indicted two former police officers on murder charges and another ex-officer on a manslaughter charge in the death of Murriel, a Black man seen on video being pinned down and repeatedly shocked with stun guns during a New Year's eve arrest. Officials in the state capital of Jackson released body camera footage Wednesday, May 25, 2023 that showed then-officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land struggling to handcuff Keith Murriel as he was apparently stunned numerous times over 10 minutes. (Jackson (Miss.) Police Department via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Jackson (Miss.)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Three former police officers who were indicted by a Mississippi grand jury laughed at a man who died in their custody, with one of them questioning whether to call an ambulance for the man immediately, body-camera footage shows.

Officials in the state capital of Jackson announced Wednesday that a Mississippi grand jury had indicted two former police officers on murder charges and another ex-officer on a manslaughter charge in the death of a Black man seen on video being pinned down and repeatedly shocked with stun guns during a New Year’s Eve arrest. The city released hours of body-camera footage detailing the encounter, which The Associated Press reviewed.

The officers had tackled Keith Murriel while arresting him for allegedly trespassing at a hotel after they asked him to leave the building’s parking lot. The footage showed then-officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land struggling to handcuff Murriel as he was stunned numerous times for over 10 minutes.

McCarty and Willis are Black, and Land is white, according to Melissa Faith Payne, a city spokesperson.

After officers handcuffed Murriel, they placed him horizontally in the back of a patrol car. Seventeen minutes of the hourlong body-camera footage shows officers trying to place Murriel inside the vehicle. The remaining 43 minutes of the footage don’t show paramedics arriving or the officers checking on Murriel to see if he needed immediate medical aid. The footage is broken up into multiple clips, and it is unclear whether officers attended to Murriel off-camera.

What is clear is that during that 43-minute period, the officers laughed about the encounter.

“I hope (he) is asleep. Because if he’s asleep, it’ll be a good ride,” Willis is heard saying on camera, using a racial slur to refer to Murriel. “It was funny seeing (his) feet in the air … In the beginning, it was funny. After a while it got annoying.”

After officers left Murriel in the patrol vehicle, Willis said he was going to call a sergeant to ask when officers should call an American Medical Response, or AMR, ambulance.

“I don’t know if he wants to wait until we get down (to the station) to do this, until I give him AMR,” Willis said. “That way he’s at least already down there, because if we open the door, he’s going to try to get out.”

The clip from Willis’ body camera ends after one hour. Paramedics arrived 12 minutes into the next clip from Willis’ body camera. When a paramedic opened the back door of the patrol vehicle, he noticed Murriel wasn’t breathing.

McCarty then told one of the paramedics Murriel was “on something.” The Jackson Police Department has not indicated whether any narcotics were detected in Murriel’s toxicology report.

Paramedics performed CPR before transporting Murriel to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. On Willis’ body-camera footage, he can be heard telling someone Murriel choked on his own vomit.

Daryl Washington, an attorney for Murriel’s family, said the language and tactics used by the officers justified their indictment.

“It makes you wonder how these officers act when they are not captured on their own body cam,” Washington said. “But these officers knew that their body cams were on, and they felt very comfortable because they believed nothing would happen to them. Fortunately, Keith’s family is not going to allow this to be swept under the rug like a lot of these cases usually are.”

Murriel’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against the officers. Washington said city officials did not give them enough time to view the footage before it was released to the public. Some family members saw the footage for the first time in news reports.

“We expected to at least have a couple of days or so to prepare ourselves,” he said.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at Wednesday’s news conference that the city was now releasing body-camera footage because a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation probe of the death had been completed. The officers — all ex-members of the Jackson Police Department — were indicted on May 12.

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones told WJTV-TV that Land is out of jail on a $75,000 bond, and McCarty is out on a $150,000 bond. The sheriff said as of Wednesday, Willis had not been arrested. The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a phone message Thursday afternoon about whether he had been arrested.

Attorneys for McCarty and Land did not immediately respond to email and phone messages. The Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether Willis had retained an attorney.

___

Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikergoldberg.

United States News

Associated Press

Pat Robertson dies at 93; founded Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Coalition

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93. Robertson’s death Thursday was announced by his broadcasting […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Stock market today: Wall Street listless early ahead of new labor market data

Wall Street stabilized before Thursday’s opening bell after a heavy sell-off a day earlier in the tech sector dragged some benchmarks lower. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1% in premarket. Global shares were mixed and oil prices rebounded after losing ground early. Government data on jobless […]

1 day ago

FILE - Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village, Dec. 30, 2021, ...

Associated Press

Authorities to reveal results of investigation into how Colorado’s worst wildfire started

DENVER (AP) — Authorities say they have wrapped up their investigation into what started the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history and will announce their findings on Thursday. The blaze destroyed nearly 1,100 homes as heavy winds pushed it across the heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder on Dec. 30, 2021. Two people were […]

1 day ago

Kim Adams of the SOAR Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent drug overdoses in Ohio, packs f...

Associated Press

‘Keep them alive’: More states legalize fentanyl test strips to combat surging opioid deaths

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — At Cleveland’s Urban Kutz Barbershop, customers can flip through magazines as they wait, or help themselves to drug screening tests left out in a box on a table with a somber message: “Your drugs could contain fentanyl. Please take free test strips.” Owner Waverly Willis has given out strips for years […]

1 day ago

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during an event to commemorate Pride Month, in the East Room of t...

Associated Press

Biden invites thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals, singer Betty Who, to Pride Month celebration

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has invited thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals to celebrate Pride Month in a high-profile show of support at a time when the community feels under attack like never before and the White House has little recourse to beat back a flood state-level legislation against them. Biden was announcing new initiatives […]

1 day ago

FILE - Former President Donald Trump greets supporters before speaking at the Westside Conservative...

Associated Press

The Republican presidential field is largely set. Here are takeaways on where the contest stands.

NEW YORK (AP) — After a trio of new announcements this week, the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential field is all but set. A handful of stragglers may jump in later, but as of now there are at least 10 high-profile Republican candidates officially seeking their party’s nomination. And with the announcement phase of the primary […]

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Body-cam footage shows indicted ex-police officers laughing at man who died in custody