Secret Mississippi panel claims no action is needed in police killing at Family Dollar Store. The family of 15-year-old child who was killed by police in October 2022 is calling for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to take on their case after a secret Gulfport Grand Jury found that no further action is needed. Police claim that Jaheim McMillan had a weapon and refused orders to comply, but so far they have failed to release unedited bodycam footage or to name the officer who shot the 15-year-old. Local activists say they have security camera footage showing that young Jaheim had his hands up and was fatally shot while running away.
A grand jury in the case issued a partial report today, stating that they found no criminal action on the part of law enforcement. Jaheim McMillan’s family and activists are challenging the story from law enforcement saying that security camera videos, the refusal to release the unedited video, and even the nature of the brief clip the family has been allowed to see warrant a further and impartial investigation.
Jaheim’s mother, Katrina Mateen, is pushing back “I am so disappointed by the decision and had hopes that Mississippi would do the right thing, but they do not have the courage.”
Black Lives Matter Grassroots Director Melina Abdullah states, “White officials in Mississippi are working to impede Black progress in every possible way – from attempting to block Black political power to refusing to protect the sanctity of Black life. It is clear that Mississippi state and local governments seek to continue their long legacy of Black oppression and dehumanization.”
Andrew Joseph, Jr., whose own 14-year-old son #AndrewJosephIII was killed as a result of police misconduct in Tampa, FL in 2014 and now serves as BLM Grassroots’ Rapid Response Coordinator is on-the-ground in Gulfport. He adds, “For Black Lives to Matter in Mississippi, federal civil rights action is urgent.”
Marquell Bridges, a leading local organizer, who was recently arrested in a #JusticeForJaheim protest, commits, “We will keep fighting for justice and accountability for the child, whose life was stolen by Gulfport Police.”
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