- Police shot at a vehicle, fatally striking a 1-year-old child, despite pleas from the mother
- Authorities claim the vehicle drove toward officers, but the family disputes this account
- The community is outraged and demands accountability and release of video evidence
This story is absolutely heartbreaking, and if justice is not properly served, there will be hell to pay.
BOSSIP previously reported on the shooting that occurred on June 14 after officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports claiming a woman had stolen a box of diapers from a local Walmart. According to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, officers confronted a vehicle the suspect was driving in the parking lot. Authorities allege the vehicle drove toward officers and nearly struck one of them, prompting an officer to open fire.
According to reports from The Guardiana Mississippi police officer has been fatally placed on administrative leave during one of his rounds striking one 1-year-old Kohen Wiley during that questionable confrontation. The family has retained legal counsel from ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who released the following statement to the public.
“A one-year-old child is dead after police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a busy Walmart parking lot.
“Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she tried to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car. They shot anyway, leading to the death of an innocent one-year-old child. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”
The agent in question has not yet been publicly identified, but we are confident that social media will resolve this issue soon enough. City officials confirmed that the officer has been temporarily relieved of his duties, which is standard procedure after a fatal police shooting. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation and reviewing witness statements, body camera footage, dash camera video and Walmart surveillance recordings.
The tragedy has sparked protests in Senatobia, with demonstrators demanding justice for Kohen and the release of all video evidence. The Wiley family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who criticized the officers’ actions and called for accountability. State officials have urged the public to remain patient as investigators determine exactly what happened. Good luck with that. The community is not going to sit idly by and hope that the historically unreliable police do their job. There will be pressure.
Meanwhile, according to WREGthe child’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, tells from her perspective exactly what happened in the Walmart parking lot. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle her friend was driving when she saw police running toward them with guns drawn and pointed at them.
“I raised my baby and tried to show him he was in the car,” Wiley says in the video. “By the time I put my baby down, it was three to four shots.”
Wiley also refuted police claims that the car drove toward the officers in an attempt to run them over, saying the officers were on her right while the vehicle was moving to the left.
“They shot at the car on purpose,” she said.
Walmart corporate released a statement regarding the fatal incident:
“We are heartbroken by the loss of such a young life. The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority. We are working closely with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and will refer additional questions to authorities.”
Anything less than criminal charges against the officer, or officers, involved will be met with intense nationwide backlash and protest. It is best for local prosecutors to choose wisely.
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