Family demands answers about JPD officer-involved death

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - “He wasn’t trying to push the officers he was he wasn’t trying to harm the officers. He was just pleading with them. Please stop man so to hear keep pleading and begging for his life. I mean that I mean, that is something that shocked the conscience of everyone. And this is what they are trying to prevent the citizens of Jackson from seeing,” said civil rights attorney Darryl Washington.

A witness recorded cell phone video New Year’s eve after Jackson police officers responded to a call at the Extended Stay Hotel on Beasley Road.

At the time, JPD’s official statement indicated officers successfully took an individual into custody who experienced a medical emergency.

AMR was called to the scene and eventually, the individual was pronounced dead.

But the family of Keith Murriel, who was 41 years old, does not believe a medical emergency occurred and says the body cam footage will prove it.

Washington represents the family.

“When you finally see that body cam, you are going to see that what happened with Keith and I generally never like to compare it to that but you can see that it was it was as egregious as to answer that that happened in Memphis, Tennessee, and this is why they don’t want to release this body cam footage,” he said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has since taken over the case.

Jackson police placed officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty, and James Land on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the department’s own investigation.

One year earlier, Flowood police arrested McCarty after finding her and another JPD officer with marijuana.

Time sheets obtained exclusively by 3 On Your Side show McCarty was placed on three days of administrative leave and was back working at the department the next week.

“Being arrested. And being a police officer, those two that they don’t fit with each other. That alone should have told individuals from the city of Jackson that that officers that individual not fit to be a police officer. Had they take taken the proper measurements then and terminated this person clearly did not have respect for the loss. If they would have terminated her. Perhaps Keith will still be here today,” Washington said.

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