A Mississippi woman is suing two police officers who she claims used excessive force that led to a gunshot wound to her head following a traffic stop last year.
According to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Sherita Harris is suing the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS), the Mississippi Police Department and two individual officers, identified as Michael Rhinewalt and Jeffery Walker. She is seeking $3 million in damages.
In the complaint, Harris claims she was a passenger in a car traveling northbound on Highway 51 in downtown Jackson when officers stopped the car at an intersection while it was waiting for a green light on Aug. 14, 2022.
Harris claims the officers activated their hazard lights and ordered the driver to pull over to the side of the road, which the driver complied with. However, she said in the complaint, Officer Rhinewalt began shooting at the car, forcing the driver to drive away to “escape the constant barrage of bullets.”
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When the driver looked at Harris, he found her slumped in the seat with a gunshot wound to the head, the complaint states. She was later taken to the hospital, where she underwent surgery to “remove the bullet fragments from her head.” The complaint states that she remained there for approximately three to four days to recuperate.
“Due to the excessive force shown by Defendants Rhinewalt and Walker in the headshot and unlawful or unauthorized vehicle pursuit, Plaintiff Harris suffers severe complications with speech, gait and overall cognitive abilities,” the complaint states.
The legal filing also accuses the officers of assault, battery and gross negligence in the incident, and of causing emotional pain to Harris. It is also alleged that the MDPS “failed” to train and supervise the two officers on duty.
In a statement to local news station WAPT, MDPS said it “will not comment on matters involving pending litigation.” The organization, as well as the Mississippi Police Department, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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According to NBC News, Officer Walker testified at a hearing in September 2022 that he and Officer Rhinewalt attempted to stop the car after it failed to stop at a red light. He added that the vehicle sped up when he got out and tried to approach him.
“My partner shouted at me that they were shooting at us. At that time the back window of the fleeing vehicle started to shatter and that’s when I first noticed the shots,” Walker told the newspaper. He added that Rhinewalt “returned fire, and I backed away from the vehicle to stay a safe distance away and avoid getting hurt.”
The officers were not wearing body cameras during the incident and did not have a dashboard camera equipped in the vehicle to capture footage at the time, Ms told NBC News. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell.
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“I’m used to being an independent woman. So it’s taking a lot out of me to not be able to do anything,” Harris told the newspaper, adding that the shooting has “handicapped me for the rest of my life.”
“I will never be me again,” added the mother of five. “I love myself. But I’ll never be me and be able to get up and walk away. They’ll never be able to give me what I need. They’ll never be able to compensate me for taking my life with those shots.”
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Source: HIS Education