JACKSON, Miss. – On July 16, Leflore County Circuit Judge Ashley Hines dismissed charges that a white police officer assaulted a black student at Greenwood High, closing a case that drew national attention.
On Dec. 6, 2006, Officer Casey Wiggins of the Greenwood Police Department was involved in an altercation with 17-year-old James Marshall during his routine patrol of the school. Security videotapes showed Wiggins pull his gun on Marshall twice, and at one point he appeared to put the student in a choke hold. The tapes did not show Wiggins throwing Marshall and another student against the wall, contrary to Marshall’s testimony.
In defense of his ruling, Hines cited witnesses who claimed Marshall took the first swing at Wiggins. Fellow student Kenneth Duncan also denied seeing Wiggins throw Marshall against the wall, leading Hines to conclude that Marshall was not a credible witness.
Wiggins’ attorney Mitchell Creel is not surprised by the ruling. However, Marshall’s lawyer Carlos Moore is astonished. He points out the Marshall was unarmed during the attack, and cites this as another case of Mississippi’s historical racism.
At the time of the brawl, Wiggins had not yet undergone the formal training mandatory for Mississippi police officers. Moore says he will continue to press the case.
