Mississippi officers accused of shooting a mother in the head during a car chase
Two Mississippi Capitol Police officers have been charged in the shooting of Sherita Harris, which left her with a partially paralyzed face and permanent memory loss.
For more than two years, Sherita Harris has been waiting for someone to be held responsible for a bullet that struck her in the head while she rode in the passenger seat of a car in Jackson, Mississippi.
On Friday, the mother of five finally got a sign.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that two state police officers have been charged in the shooting, which left her with a partially paralyzed face, permanent memory loss and damaged sight and hearing.
“It’s been so long, I thought they forgot and were going to sweep it under the rug,” Harris, 40, said, her speech halting and slurred from the gunshot wound. “It brings me a little joy.”
Sherita Harris at a 2023 news conference. The shooting damaged her face and her memory.Imani Khayyam for NBCMississippi Capitol Police Officer Michael Rhinewalt and former officer Jeffery Walker were each indicted by a state grand jury on aggravated assault charges, accused of shooting Harris “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.” Rhinewalt and Walker were also accused of shooting at Harris’ friend, who was driving. The officers have said they opened fire after the friend, Sinatra Jordan, shot at them during a chase, which Jordan denies.
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