A Black passenger who was shot in the head by members of the Capitol Police in Jackson, Mississippi, during a traffic stop has filed a federal lawsuit. The excessive force complaint was filed in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi on Dec. 20.
According to the lawsuit, Sherita Harris was shot in the head on Aug. 14, 2022, after Officers Michael Rhinewalt and Jeffery Walker shot into the vehicle she was riding in near State Street / Highway 51 in downtown Jackson.
Harris and the driver of the vehicle were at a traffic light near the intersection of State and Amite when Rhinewalt and Walker pulled up behind them in a police cruiser.
After the light turned green, Walker “immediately” turned on the emergency lights of the cruiser as he demanded the vehicle pull over, according to the complaint.
The claim further states that after the driver complied and pulled over, Rhinewalt began shooting into the vehicle in short order, prompting the driver to try to flee.
“The vehicle complied with Defendant Walker’s commands,” Harris’ attorneys say. “Shortly thereafter, Defendant Rhinewalt began to shoot into the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle attempted to drive away from Defendants Walker and Rhinewalt to escape the constant firing of bullets.”
Recent Comments