A man who was wrongfully arrested in connection with a deadly shooting that killed a Jackson State University student last year is suing the university and several others connected to the incident.
Last month, Shirley Brown filed a lawsuit against Jackson State on behalf of her teenage son, Joshua Brown. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, names the university, the university's campus police department, former interim President Elayne Hayes Anthony, former Jackson State University police Chief Herman Horton, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. as the defendants according to the lawsuit.
They are being accused of conducting a “grossly negligent or reckless investigation” that led to the arrest of Joshua Brown. According to the court filing, the university’s campus police are being accused of obtaining a warrant to arrest Brown for killing Jaylen Burns after statements were given to the campus police department by witnesses. Burns died last October trying to break up a fight between his fraternity brother and his girlfriend at an apartment complex during Jackson State Homecoming weekend.
Article Continues BelowAccording to Shirley Brown, Joshua was working at a Krispy Kreme in Hattiesburg during the time of the shooting. She claims that Jackson State and the other defendants negligently and recklessly withheld truthful information from the judge that issued the arrest warrant. The lawsuit also claims the accusations caused Brown mental anguish, anxiety, and financial damage.
The Brown’s lawyer, Aafram Sellers, released a statement regarding how much the family is seeking from the lawsuit.
“I don't know if there's a number you can put on the harm that's been done to a child who was snatched from his college campus and driven and put in a place in jail, who had never been in that experience before,” Sellers said. “I was asked that by someone who is quite in the power structure in Hinds County, and I responded, ‘What would the number be for your kid if that happened to your son?' And he has a son; I have a son. I can't put a number on that. I don't think anyone can put a number on that, and I don't think the Brown family is prepared to put a number on it at this time.”