Grandmother wants shooting video to be released

Cathy Mardis traveled from Hattiesburg in hopes of learning that two men charged with the murder of her grandson would stand trial for that offense.
She said she and other family members want the police body camera video of the shooting to be made available to the public
Although she said it might be hard to watch, “I think it needs to be seen.”
State Police Col. Mike Edmonson called the video “one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen” when he announced the arrests of Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse Jr. for the 2nd-degree murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis and the attempted 2nd-degree murder of his father, Chris Few.
Ms. Mardis, Jeremy’s maternal grandmother, waited outside the courthouse this past Thursday with the child’s paternal grandmother, Samantha Few -- the mother of Chris Few, who spent several days in the hospital after being seriously wounded in the barrage of shots that killed his son.
Inside the courthouse, a Grand Jury was hearing evidence to determine if Stafford and Greenhouse would be indicted and stand trial for murder and attempted murder in connection with the Nov. 3 shooting that followed a traffic stop at the dead end of Martin Luther King Drive.
“I came here for the Grand Jury,” Ms. Mardis said. “I hope they return a true bill against Stafford and Greenhouse, and I wanted to be here when they read the indictment in open court.”
Ms. Few could not make any comments, being under a “gag order” issued by 12th Judicial District Court Judge Billy Bennett.
Ms. Mardis said she is not a potential witness and is not prohibited from talking about the case.
She said she wanted to see the process first-hand, as much as possible, and hopes authorities “will move toward justice in this case. I don’t want it to be candy-coated.”
She said she has become “physically ill” hearing descriptions of the body camera video of the incident, including comments that Few had his hands raised when the two part-time city marshals began shooting.
Ms. Mardis said court officials told her there is no way to predict how long it would take the Grand Jury to reach a decision.
“They could hand down a decision today or it could be next week,” she said. “I don’t see how it could take much deliberation.”
Chris Few was seen entering the courthouse, probably to testify before the Grand Jury.
His mother could not discuss the case, but Ms. Mardis said “Chris is doing as well as can be expected. He is healing.”
Ms. Mardis drove in from Hattiesburg Wednesday so she could stand vigil at the courthouse, waiting for the Grand Jury’s report.
“It has been pure hell,” she said. “I can’t explain what it is like to bury your 6-year-old grandchild.”
Jeremy turned 6 on Aug. 14. Less than two months later, he was killed while buckled in the front seat next to his father.
Ms. Mardis said her daughter, also named Catherine, has not been able to fully deal with her son’s death. Jeremy’s younger sister still asks about her “big brother,” she added.
The funeral of the child was an ordeal.
“You have to decide what to bury him in, whether it will be an open or closed casket,” she said, adding that the morticians “did their best, but you could still tell there was trauma.”
Ms. Mardis wore a gray Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle T-shirt in memory of Jeremy. She said he loved those characters.