The mother of Jaylen Lewis, a 25-year-old who died in a 2022 shooting incident involving Capitol Police, filed a lawsuit against the police agency and others in federal court last week.
The lawsuit, filed Sept. 24 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, alleges that then-officers Michael Rhinewalt and Steven Frederick Jr. used “excessive and unjustified force” when they fatally shot Lewis on Sept. 25, 2022.
Rhinewalt and Frederick were part of the Captiol Police crime suppression unit called “Flex.”
In March 2025, a Hinds County grand jury indicted Rhinewalt and Frederick Jr. on a manslaughter charge for the fatal shooting of Lewis during what authorities previously said was a routine traffic stop on E. Mayes Street.
According to the indictment, Frederick and Rhinewalt said one of them shot Lewis because it “was necessary to protect himself from great bodily harm or death at the hands of Lewis,” but a Hinds County grandy jury concluded that was “not a reasonable belief under the circumstances.”
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by the Court for “the willful, reckless and malicious conduct of defendants.”
“Jaylen Lewis should be alive today,” said Bobby DiCello, a DiCello Levitt partner who is representing the Lewis family. “The actions of these officers were not just reckless — they were unconscionable and indefensible. Jaylen was a devoted father with his whole life ahead of him, and his family deserves justice. We are committed to fighting for accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform, so that no other family in Jackson has to endure this kind of heartbreak.”
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which oversees Capitol Police, of permitting “officers who have engaged in excessive force or unreasonable violence toward citizens to avoid the consequences of discipline.”
DiCello said the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Capitol Police “maintained policies and customs that fostered a culture of violence, failed to properly train and supervise officers, and ignored repeated warnings about unconstitutional policing practices.”
The lawsuit seeks reforms “to ensure the Capitol Police adopt and enforce policies that prevent future tragedies,” DiCello said.
Bailey Martin, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, provided a brief comment Tuesday, Sept. 30, to the Clarion Ledger about the Sept. 2025 federal lawsuit that states, “The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is aware of the lawsuit and does not comment on pending litigation.”
According to Martin, Frederick resigned from the department in March 2023 shortly after being involved in a traffic accident while off duty.
After Frederick left from working with Capitol Police, he went to work for the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee previously stated Frederick was relieved of his duties.
Martin also said Rhinewalt has been on administrative leave without pay and has not been actively employed with the agency since January 2025.
What happened to Jaylen Lewis?
According to the lawsuit, Rhinewalt and Frederick were conducting a drug narcotics operation at approximately 9 p.m. Sept. 25, 2022, when they saw a white Jeep Cherokee turn north on West Street in Jackson. The vehicle was driven by Lewis, who had a female passenger.
After the officers saw the Jeep Cherokee drive through a red light at Stonewall Street, they allegedly turned on their police lights, pulled Lewis over and blocked him from moving forward with his vehicle.
The lawsuit states Lewis ended up reversing his car and bumping into a police cruiser positioned behind his vehicle.
“After bumping into the front of the police cruiser, Jaylen does not brandish a weapon, reach for a weapon, make any violent gestures, threaten anyone or take any other actions that could be reasonably perceived as endangering officers or others,” the suit reads.
“Despite not observing any conduct that could reasonably be perceived as endangering officers or others,” Frederick and Rhinewalt opened fire into the Cherokee, shooting Lewis in the head and killing him, according to the lawsuit.
3 state nonprofits accused by auditor: State Auditor report shows “questionable” spending by Mississippi nonprofits. Get details
How you can give input on next chief: Community gives input on next Jackson police chief at public forum. Here’s what they said.
As a result of the officers’ actions and Lewis’ death, his family “was destroyed, and have endured pain, anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, feelings of powerlessness, harm to self-esteem, emotional distress, fear, anxiety, emotional agony, loss of support, loss of companionship, loss of sense of personal safety [and] dignity,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, the state Legislature expanded Capitol Police officers’ jurisdiction beyond the state Capitol in Jackson, transforming their role from “limited security to full-spectrum urban policing.” The expansion is alleged to have conincided with “a surge in high-intensity encounters, including pursuits, officer-involved shootings, and use-of-force complaints.”
“Within the first six months of Capital Police’s deployment to Jackson, no less than four citizens were shot by Capitol Police officers. In each case, there were questions about whether officers followed constitutional standards regarding lethal force and pursuit justification,” the lawsuit states.