Mississippi Attorney General Rules Police Shooting That Killed One-Year-Old Boy Justified

Mississippi Attorney General Rules Police Shooting That Killed One Year-Old Boy Justified The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office has ruled that a police officer was justified in using force when he fired at a moving vehicle during a shoplifting investigation, killing a one-year old boy who was inside. The decision concerns the death of Kohen Wiley, who was shot on June 14, 2026, outside a Walmart store in Senatobia, Mississippi, in the United States. The ruling, announced by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Monday, October 19, followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation into the shooting. However, the decision has drawn criticism from the child’s family and civil rights advocates, who are questioning the official account of the incident and demanding the release of body-camera footage. According to authorities, Senatobia police officers responded to a shoplifting report at a Walmart store, where they encountered Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a female friend as they left the store with the child. Police suspected that diapers and baby clothes had been stolen. Vellesiya Wiley has denied that she or her friend stole anything, and neither woman had been charged with shoplifting or any other offence, according to reports. The women and the child entered a vehicle and began driving away. Investigators said officers attempted to stop the car, but the driver allegedly drove towards them, prompting one officer to open fire. Kohen was struck and killed, while the other woman in the vehicle sustained serious injuries. The women subsequently drove to a hospital, where the child was pronounced dead. The incident sparked public outrage and renewed calls for accountability over police use of deadly force, particularly when children and other civilians are present. In its announcement, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office said it had concluded that the officer’s use of force was justified. The decision followed the submission of investigative findings by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which examines police-involved shootings and forwards its findings to the attorney general for review. The attorney general’s announcement, however, provided limited public detail about how the office reached its conclusion. The ruling means the state has determined that the officer’s actions were justified under its review of the evidence. It has not, however, ended the public dispute over what happened in the Walmart parking lot. Kohen’s mother has challenged the authorities’ version of events, disputing the claim that the driver directed the vehicle towards officers. Ben Crump, a prominent US civil rights attorney representing the Wiley family, has also questioned the decision and called for the release of body-worn camera footage. Crump said a preliminary independent autopsy indicated that Kohen was shot from the side of the vehicle, rather than from the front. He argued that the finding raised questions about the claim that the car was moving towards officers when the shots were fired. The family’s legal representatives have maintained that the public should be allowed to examine the available evidence before accepting the official conclusion. As of the latest reports, footage of the shooting had not been publicly released. The decision has intensified demands for transparency from the Senatobia Police Department and state authorities. Civil rights advocates have questioned whether officers should have fired at the moving vehicle and argued that the release of body-camera recordings would help establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Police use-of-force experts have also raised concerns about shooting at moving vehicles, noting that officers may be able to avoid danger by moving out of the vehicle’s path rather than firing into it. The case has attracted further scrutiny because of previous controversies involving the Senatobia Police Department, including reported incidents that have strained relations between local law enforcement and Black residents. The fatal shooting has left Kohen’s family grieving while seeking further answers about the circumstances of his death. Although the attorney general has declared the officer’s use of force justified, the family continues to challenge the official account and seek access to evidence from the incident. The case has again raised questions about police accountability, the use of lethal force during suspected minor offences and the need for transparent investigations when civilians are killed during law enforcement operations. For Kohen’s family, the central issue remains what happened in the moments before the officer fired and whether the evidence supports the state’s conclusion.