Kadarius Smith, a Black 17-year-old, died in the hospital on March 21 after a Leland, Miss., police officer began chasing him in an LPD police cruiser ran him over, civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleged in a press announcement Wednesday.

“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,” the lawyer said.

The press release does not mention an officer by name. It says Smith’s family retained Crump, a nationally known civil rights attorney, after the teen’s death.

The Mississippi Free Press called the Leland Police Department for comment, but LPD declined the request for an interview.

“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,” Crump’s press release alleges, without naming the witness.

Tire marks seen in grass
Attorney Ben Crump shared photos of a tire track in the mud in a patch of grass, alleging that a Leland police officer’s vehicle made the marks when running over Kadarius Smith on March 21, 2024. Photo courtesy Ben Crump Law

The attorney’s announcement cites Smith’s mother, who alleged that her son “was run over from behind leaving police cruiser tire marks on his back.” Crump said the police department still employs the officer and that officials have not allowed the family to see the unedited video footage from that night.

“We demand that the officer who was driving the cruiser be immediately terminated and that the unedited video footage is released to the family,” Crump said in Wednesday’s statement. “Kadarius’ family deserves accountability and answers as to how and why he was killed by an officer in such an inhumane way.”

Crump has worked on numerous high-profile cases, including ones related to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and George Floyd. He is also currently representing several families in Hinds County, Miss., after the county buried their loved ones without informing the families of their deaths.

State Reporter Heather Harrison has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work. At Mississippi State University, she studied public relations and broadcast journalism, earning her Communication degree in 2023. For three years, Heather worked at The Reflector student newspaper: first as a staff reporter, then as the news editor and finally, as the editor-in-chief. This is where her passion for politics and government reporting began.
Heather started working at the Mississippi Free Press three days after graduation in 2023. She also worked part time for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings.
In her free time, Heather likes to sit on the porch, read books and listen to Taylor Swift. A native of Hazlehurst, she now lives in Brandon with her wife and their Boston Terrier, Finley, and calico cat, Ravioli.