Photo: Getty Images
A 17-year-old teenager was allegedly killed by a Mississippi police officer driving a police cruiser.
According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Kadarius Smith, 17, died last week after a Leland Police Department officer ran him over while the teen was walking home with his friends, per NewsOne.
Crump said a bystander witnessed the incident. Smith's mother said her son was run over from behind, citing tire tracks that were left on his back.
The civil rights attorney is calling for the Leland Police Department to be fully transparent in its investigation, releasing video footage to the public and firing the officer involved.
“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.
“We demand that the officer who was driving the cruiser be immediately terminated, and that the unedited video footage is released to the family," he continued. "Kadarius’ family deserves accountability and answers as to how and why he was killed by an officer in such an inhumane way.”
It's unclear why police were following Smith and his friends.
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