LELAND, Miss. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has issued a statement in response to the release of the police incident report from the death of Kadarius Smith, a 17-year-old who was run over by a Leland Police Department cruiser and later died. Smith’s death occurred in the early morning hours of March 21, when he was walking home with friends and the police cruiser began chasing him, according to a witness.
Attorney Crump issued the following statement:
“It is important to look carefully at the facts in this case. The police incident report states twice that officers were responding to claims that a juvenile, not specifically Kadarius, had a handgun. Nowhere in the police incident report does it state that a handgun was recovered from the scene. This child was run over by the police and lost his life – that is what we know for sure.
“Kadarius’ death exemplifies the paramount importance of body cameras for every single officer on duty and dash cameras for every single police-issued vehicle patrolling our communities. In the year 2024, to not have body or dash camera technology in place is irresponsible and speaks to a widespread cultural problem in these departments.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
