Mississippi Attorney General Declares Police Shooting of Infant Justified
The state's attorney general ruled that officers' use of force was justified after a one-year-old was killed during a June shoplifting investigation in Senatobia, Mississippi, prompting calls for release of body-camera footage.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said on Monday that police use of force was justified after a one-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley, was fatally shot while sitting on his mother's lap in a vehicle that officers said was driven toward them during a shoplifting investigation at a Walmart in Senatobia on June 14.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers responded to a report of stolen baby supplies and attempted to stop the car, which allegedly accelerated toward an officer, nearly striking him. One officer fired, killing the child and critically injuring the driver, Latoya Ferrell.
Vellesiya Wiley, the child's mother, denied any theft and said she lifted her son to show officers he was present before the shooting.
The family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, criticized the ruling and demanded the release of body-camera and parking-lot footage, stating, "How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?" He added, "If the footage supports the state's decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth."
Martin Zummach, representing the officer who fired, told the Associated Press the driver had "tried to kill" his client and that the officer "had no choice but to fire his weapon."
The incident, which occurred on Juneteenth, sparked protests in Senatobia. Police have not yet released any video evidence of the shooting.