A 1-year-old boy is dead after police in a small Mississippi city opened fire on a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot — and his family says the public deserves to see exactly what happened.
Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in Senatobia, Mississippi, on June 14 when officers responded to a shoplifting call. What happened next has divided the community and drawn national attention.
What Police Say vs. What the Family Says
Investigators say officers tried to stop the vehicle, and the driver moved toward them, nearly striking one officer — prompting an officer to open fire. The car then fled the scene.
Kohen’s mother tells a different story. She says they were simply driving away. She also says the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers — one she believes her friend had already paid for.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a press conference Monday.
The Video Nobody Has Seen
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, standing alongside the family at a local church, is demanding the immediate release of all body camera, dash camera, and Walmart security footage.
“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the case, declined to say what video exists or whether it will be released publicly.
Questions About Use of Force
A policing expert noted that firing into a moving vehicle is widely considered dangerous and something officers should avoid at nearly all costs — because of the risk to passengers and bystanders.
Crump also announced an independent autopsy will be conducted. He said bullet angles could reveal whether the officer fired from in front of or beside the car — a key detail in determining whether the shooting was justified.
The officers involved were not injured.
Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has not responded to requests for comment.
The investigation is ongoing.
