Just hours before the dawn of 2023, Keith Murriel died while in custody of three, now former, Jackson police officers. Two of the now former officers face murder charges while the third faces a manslaughter charge in the incident.
On Dec. 31, 2022, Murriel, a Black man, was stopped by now former officers Kenya McCarty, Avery Willis and James Land outside of an extended stay hotel in Jackson. Body camera footage from the Jackson Police Department shows Murriel being tased at least 26 times in a 10 minutes span among hours of videos released from that evening.
Before the release of the body camera footage though, it was released that 41-year-old Murriel later experienced a medical-related incident and died.
What actually happened?
Here’s what we know about the incident, what is in the body camera footage and more.
What was reported as to have happened the night Keith Murriel died?
The three former Jackson police officers arrived at the Beasley Street extended stay hotel around 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2022. Murriel died in custody.
At the time officials stated that after Murriel’s arrest, he later experienced a medical-related incident.
“Officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land were later placed on administrative leave as a result of the incident,” officials said at the time of the incident.
American Medical Response was called to the scene to render aid, but Murriel was pronounced dead upon arrival, according to a WLBT report.
Jackson mayor disagrees with police chief, calls for body camera footage of tased Black man who died to be released
More than a month after Murriel died in police custody, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Anton Lumumba publicly disagreed with Jackson Police Chief James Davis on the events that led to the death of Murriel Dec. 31, 2022. Davis originally stated the Murriel experienced a medical-related incident that lead to his death.
“I will say that Chief Davis needs to speak for himself and what he meant by that statement, but based on the knowledge that I have, I must say that I disagree with that statement,” Lumumba said. “Maybe he meant that in a different way … but based on the information available to me, what took place is not clearly communicated.”
This statement followed after video, taken by a bystander, was given to WAPT showing officers tasing Murriel multiple times.
Lumumba called for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to release body cam video of the arrest.
It would be three months before any footage is released.
Footage from the Jackson police body camera released: Black man tased at least 26 times in 10 minutes
Hours of unedited body camera footage from the night of Murriel’s death was released on May 24 giving insight of what happened on Dec. 31, 2022.
The footage contained instances of Murriel being tased dozens of times as he screamed and said the same statement over and over again, “man, stop.” Including a 10-minute span where the stun gun was used at least 26 times on the 41-year-old Black man.
Reporters with the Clarion Ledger combed through the footage. Here’s everything that they found.
Who are the former Jackson police officers charged?
Kenya McCarty, who was first to arrive on Dec. 31, 2022, was charged with second degree murder after being indicted last week by a Hinds County grand jury. Avery Willis, who arrived after McCarty, was also charged with second-degree murder last week. James Land, who arrived as “backup” for Willis and McCarty, was charged last week with manslaughter.
All three of them were on administrative leave after the incident.
