The fatal shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley by police responding to a shoplifting call in Senatobia, Mississippi, has ignited protests and renewed demands for police accountability and the release of body-camera footage. Demonstrations erupted after the June 14 shooting, with protesters gathering outside Senatobia city hall and the Walmart where the incident occurred. On Tuesday evening, law enforcement officers wearing gas masks formed a line and deployed an irritant commonly referred to as teargas toward demonstrators, forcing people at the scene to disperse.
Kohen's family has retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is demanding the release of officers' body camera footage as well as Walmart surveillance video. 'A one-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot,' Crump said in a statement. 'Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she was trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car. They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent one-year-old.'
Differing Accounts of the Shooting
Senatobia police responded to a shoplifting call at the local Walmart on Sunday, June 14, where they encountered two women and a child leaving the store and getting into a vehicle. According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove toward the officers, almost striking one, prompting an officer to fire into the vehicle. The vehicle fled the scene and arrived at a local hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead and another woman was listed in critical condition.
Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has publicly disputed the police account. In a video released by Ben Crump, she said her friend was not driving toward the officers because they were 'all on the right side and she was driving towards the left.' She also challenged the shoplifting claim, saying she believes her friend paid for the diapers she was carrying.
Demands for Transparency and Footage Release
The Wiley family and community activists are demanding the release of body-camera footage and Walmart surveillance video to determine whether officers were in danger when the shot was fired. The family's attorney has said the footage will show 'excessive force' by police. However, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell has stated that video will not be released until the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation completes its inquiry. A department spokesperson told Newsweek that such investigations typically require six to nine months, though this case has been made a 'priority.'
The officer who fired at the vehicle has not been publicly identified but has been placed on administrative leave, standard practice following such incidents. A records request filed by Newsweek for the bodycam footage was denied due to the ongoing investigation.
Wider Context and Community Reaction
Kohen's death has intensified simmering tensions between police and Black residents in Senatobia, a town of approximately 8,000 people about 40 miles south of Memphis. Some residents told NBC News they believe the local police department has escalated interactions with the public, generating unnecessary arrests or uses of force. 'We lost a child because of carelessness, recklessness of the police,' said Breshari Faulkner, a Senatobia resident who was herself handcuffed in the same Walmart parking lot in 2025.
Civil rights activist Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., posted a statement saying: 'We are treating items on a shelf as more valuable than a child. That is not just bad policing; it is a moral collapse.' Policing expert Ian Adams of the University of South Carolina said that regardless of the circumstances, 'modern policing knows that shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs.'
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to probe the shooting, with the case involving officers from the Senatobia Police Department and deputies from the Tate County Sheriff's Office. Walmart has said it is cooperating with law enforcement. The funeral for Kohen Wiley was held on June 27, with hundreds gathering to celebrate his life and continue calls for justice.
