Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is leading calls for action after a Mississippi police officer killed a 17-year-old Black boy by driving over him in a police cruiser during an early morning chase last week.
Kadarius Smith died last Thursday after an unidentified officer with the Leland Police Department struck the teen as he and his friends were walking home, Crump said, citing a witness.
Smith’s mother claims her son was run over from behind as evidenced by tire tracks that were visible on his back.
Crump is calling not only for the officer to be fired but also for full transparency from the Leland Police Department, including making any video footage public immediately.
“The circumstances surrounding Kadarius’ death are truly heartbreaking for his mother and loved ones. This tragedy should have never happened and the officers involved must be held accountable. It is unconscionable that an officer would fatally run over a teenager who was running away from them,” Crump said in a statement sent to NewsOne on Wednesday.
Crump continued: “We demand that the officer who was driving the cruiser be immediately terminated, and that the unedited video footage is released to the family. Kadarius’ family deserves accountability and answers as to how and why he was killed by an officer in such an inhumane way.”
Additional details in the case, like why the police were chasing Smith and his friends, were not immediately clear.
A dispatcher who answered the phone at Leland Police Department was familiar with the incident and told NewsOne that the agency was not handling the case. When asked to explain, the dispatcher referred NewsOne to local attorney Josh Bogen, whose telephone number did not allow a message to be left.
A request for comment from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office was not immediately returned.
This article will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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