Mississippi AG rules toddler police shooting justified
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The gist
Mississippi's attorney general found an officer's use of force justified in the June 14 shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
The family's lawyers dispute the finding and say body-camera footage still hasn't been released.
Background
Kohen Wiley was a 1-year-old boy shot and killed outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, a city of about 8,000 people roughly 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Officers had responded to a shoplifting call; the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said officers saw two people and a child flee the store into a vehicle, tried to stop it, and one officer opened fire when the driver allegedly drove toward him. The case drew months of protest and attention after civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, held a press conference in Senatobia and the family's lawyers released an independent autopsy. The attorney general's review, issued Oct 19, 2026, followed the bureau's investigation, which state law requires be handed to the attorney general's office.
How it unfolded
- Jun 14, 2026Kohen Wiley, 1, was shot and killed outside a Walmart in Senatobia after an officer fired into a vehicle whose occupants were allegedly evading police; an adult in the car was critically injured.
- Jun 18, 2026A memorial for Kohen Wiley stood at the Walmart in Senatobia.
- Jun 22, 2026Attorney Ben Crump held a press conference in Senatobia with members of Wiley's family.
- Jul 2026The family's lawyers, Crump and Van Turner, released a preliminary independent autopsy report they said showed the bullet that killed the child and wounded the driver was fired through one side of the car; it ruled the death a homicide.
- Aug 2026The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus called for action and immediate communication from Mississippi officials.
- Sep 2026Senatobia Interim Police Chief Angelica Maze said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations had handed its findings to the Mississippi Attorney General's office, as required by law.
- Oct 19, 2026The Mississippi Attorney General's Office announced it had completed its review of the incident involving one Senatobia Police Department officer and found the use of force was justified.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office said that in this incident it found the use of force was justified, following an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation under Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code.
- Family lawyer
- Ben Crump said a 1-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer and the state now calls the force justified, asking how anyone can accept that when the family and public still have not been allowed to see body-camera footage.
- Expert
- Firearms and ballistics expert Charles "Joe" Key, a former Baltimore police lieutenant, said the vehicle image suggests the officer fired from the side and was not personally at risk, arguing justification would require officers to have been in the path of a car driving at them.
- Caucus
- Kabir Karriem, chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, said Kohen Wiley was only one year old and his family deserves answers, respect and assurance that investigating institutions are accountable.
Still unverified
Police have not released any footage from the shooting, including officer-worn body camera or parking-lot CCTV recordings. Local outlet Action News 5 identified the officer as Hunter Foster based on a records request of officer-involved shootings; the attorney general's statement did not identify the officer. Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has denied that she or her friend stole anything and says she lifted her son from her lap to show officers he was there before he was hit.