Current:Home > StocksMother says she wants justice after teen son is killed during police chase in Mississippi-InfoLens
Mother says she wants justice after teen son is killed during police chase in Mississippi
View Date:2024-12-23 12:01:58
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A mother says she wants justice for her 17-year-old son who died when a police SUV ran over him in the small Mississippi Delta town where he lived.
Kadarius Smith and one of his cousins were out walking March 21 when a Leland Police Department vehicle chased them and fatally struck Smith, said his mother, Kaychia Calvert. He died later at a hospital.
“He still had his whole life ahead of him,” Calvert told The Associated Press. “They just took his life away from him.”
Police referred all questions to Josh Bogen, attorney for the city, and he said officers were responding to a call about an assault in progress. He could not confirm if Smith was a suspect.
Bogen said it was an “accident” that the vehicle struck Smith.
“The idea that the police officer purposely ran over the alleged victim is a complete absurdity,” Bogen told the AP.
Smith was Black. Bogen said police told him that at least one responding officer involved was also Black. Bogen did not offer any other details.
The AP requested copies of police reports and police camera footage from Bogen, but he said they are not available during the investigation. The AP filed a formal request for the documents Friday.
Calvert described her son as “a loving, caring person” who was smart, independent and outgoing. He was in 11th grade and played on the Leland High School basketball team. Leland is in the flatlands of cotton and soybean country and has a population of about 3,900. It is about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of Mississippi’s capital city of Jackson.
Smith’s family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump and they are demanding that the officer who drove the vehicle be fired, and that unedited police camera footage be released.
“It is unconscionable that an officer would fatally run over a teenager who was running away from them,” Crump said.
Bogen said “there’s not a word of truth” to Crump’s statement.
Calvert said her son’s cousin told her that he “heard a loud boom” and then saw the SUV leaning like it was about to flip. She said he told her that the SUV landed on its wheels, ending up on Smith’s body.
“My son didn’t do anything wrong,” Calvert said. “The police officers, they just saw two boys walking home, and that’s how it got started. My son — he’s not a thug.”
veryGood! (122)
Related
- See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
- Travis Kelce responds to typo on Chiefs' Super Bowl ring: 'I don’t give a (expletive)'
- Oilers' Stanley Cup Final turnaround vs. Panthers goes beyond Connor McDavid
- Pennsylvania court will decide whether skill game terminals are gambling machines
- Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
- A US veteran died at a nursing home, abandoned. Hundreds of strangers came to say goodbye
- Ariana Grande addresses viral vocal change clip from podcast: 'I've always done this'
- Kendrick Lamar performs Drake diss 'Not Like Us' 5 times at Juneteenth 'Pop Out' concert
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- Get an Extra 25% Off Kate Spade Styles That Are Already 70% Off, 20% off Kosas, and More Major Deals
Ranking
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- Bob Good hopes final vote count will put him ahead of Trump-endorsed challenger
- Jenna Dewan Gives Birth, Welcomes Her 2nd Baby With Fiancé Steve Kazee
- Sherri Papini's ex-husband still dumbfounded by her kidnapping hoax: 'Driven by attention'
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Powerful storm transformed ‘relatively flat’ New Mexico village into ‘large lake,’ forecasters say
- How Willie Mays, the Say Hey Kid, inspired generations with his talent and exuberance, on and off the field
- What's open and closed for Juneteenth? See which stores and restaurants are operating today.
Recommendation
-
US Diplomats Notch a Win on Climate Super Pollutants With Help From the Private Sector
-
McCormick’s running mate has conservative past, Goodin says he reversed idea on abortion, marriage
-
Alabama man wanted in connection with multiple murders spotted in Arkansas, police say
-
Lululemon's New Crossbody Bag Is Pretty in Pink & the Latest We Made Too Much Drops Are Stylish AF
-
Jessica Simpson’s Sister Ashlee Simpson Addresses Eric Johnson Breakup Speculation
-
Aaron Judge returns to Yankees’ lineup against Orioles, two days after getting hit on hand by pitch
-
Jenna Dewan Gives Birth, Welcomes Her 2nd Baby With Fiancé Steve Kazee
-
California voters lose a shot at checking state and local tax hikes at the polls