Mississippi Attorney General Declares Senatobia Officer Justified in Shooting Death of Infant
Mississippi Attorney General concluded that a Senatobia police officer was justified in firing at a vehicle during a shoplifting response, which resulted in the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
Mississippi Attorney General announced that a Senatobia police officer was justified in using deadly force during a June incident that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The shooting occurred as officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart south of Memphis. Police reports said the officers attempted to stop a vehicle carrying the child's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a friend, but the car allegedly drove toward law enforcement, prompting the officer to fire.
Video released after the incident shows Vellesiya Wiley denying any theft and contesting that the car moved toward the officers. Civil-rights lawyer Ben Crump, representing the family, cited a preliminary independent autopsy indicating the child was shot from the side of the vehicle, contradicting the officers' account.
The case adds to a series of controversies involving the Senatobia police department and Black residents, including a prior incident where an officer threatened a Black woman with a Taser over a parking dispute and an earlier dismissal of an officer who arrested a 10-year-old for public urination.