The fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley has sparked renewed outrage after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that the officer who fired into a vehicle carrying the toddler was justified in using deadly force.
The decision, announced Monday, October 19, comes four months after Kohen was killed during a police response to an alleged shoplifting incident at a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, on June 14. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Kohen’s family, is challenging the conclusion and demanding the release of police body-camera footage and surveillance video.
The case has drawn national attention as Kohen’s family continues to seek answers about why an officer opened fire on a vehicle with a young child inside.
What Happened the Day Kohen Was Killed?
According to reports, Senatobia police officers responded to a Walmart on June 14 after receiving a report of alleged shoplifting involving diapers and baby clothes.
Kohen was in the arms of his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, as she and a friend left the store and entered a vehicle. Authorities alleged that the driver moved in the direction of officers and nearly struck one of them. An officer then fired into the vehicle, killing Kohen and wounding the woman who was driving.
Kohen’s mother has disputed the police account. She said she was attempting to show officers that her baby was inside the vehicle and denied that her friend drove toward officers intentionally.
Neither woman had been charged with shoplifting or another crime in connection with the alleged theft as of the October 19 reports.
Ben Crump Questions the Attorney General’s Decision
Following the attorney general’s announcement, Crump criticized the decision, arguing that the public has not been given access to the evidence needed to independently evaluate the shooting.
Crump pointed to a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by the family. According to the findings he presented in July, the bullet entered Kohen’s body from the right side of his chest and exited on the left. He has argued that the findings raise questions about the claim that the vehicle was moving directly toward officers when the shot was fired.
Crump has also called for the release of body-camera footage and Walmart surveillance video, saying the recordings are essential to understanding what happened.
“How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?” Crump said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.
The footage had not been publicly released as of Monday’s announcement.
Attorney General’s Office Concludes Use of Force Was Justified
Fitch’s office said its review followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and concluded that the officer’s use of force was justified.
However, the attorney general’s brief public statement did not provide a detailed explanation of how investigators reached that determination. The finding represents the state’s conclusion regarding the officer’s use of force; Crump and the family continue to dispute the account of the shoot
The officer involved had been placed on administrative leave following the shooting while the investigation was underway.
The case has also drawn attention to concerns about the Senatobia Police Department’s history and leadership. The city’s former police chief, Harold Vanderford, was fired in September after reports surfaced about racist text messages he had sent. The controversy has intensified calls from community members for transparency and accountability.
Family Continues to Seek Answers
For Kohen’s family, the attorney general’s decision does not resolve the questions surrounding the death of a child who was just 1 year old.
Crump has vowed to continue pressing for the release of the recordings and for answers about the circumstances that led to the shooting.
The case has reignited broader conversations about police use of deadly force, particularly when children and other innocent occupants are inside moving vehicles.
As the family continues to grieve, supporters are demanding transparency about the evidence behind the state’s conclusion.
Y’all Know What will continue to follow this developing story as the family seeks answers and further information becomes available.
