SENATOBIA, Miss. — Mississippi’s attorney general has ruled that the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley outside a Walmart was justified, according to news reports on Monday, Oct. 19. The decision clears the officer who fired.
The finding comes about four months after the June 14 shooting, which drew protests and an independent autopsy commissioned by the family. The reports reviewed for this story do not include the attorney general’s full written findings, so this article covers what is publicly documented.
What happened on June 14
A Senatobia police officer responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said the officer shot at a car that drove in the officer’s direction. The shots killed Kohen and wounded an adult in the vehicle.
The boy’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, said she was in the passenger seat holding Kohen up to show officers there was a baby in the car. The family’s attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, said she was trying to tell officers a child was inside and that they fired anyway. Crump said the mother has not been charged with any crime.
The family’s autopsy claim
An independent autopsy done for the family concluded that the bullet that killed Kohen entered his right side and exited the left, and that it came through the vehicle’s front passenger window, not the windshield. Crump said that showed the officer was shooting from the side and was not in harm’s way. The Department of Public Safety has said the officer fired at a car that was driving in the officer’s direction.
How the investigation worked
- The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) led the probe and gave its findings to the attorney general’s office, which announced in September that it was reviewing the case.
- The officer who fired has not been publicly named. Senatobia placed an unnamed officer on administrative leave after the shooting.
- Body-camera footage had not been released as of the most recent reports reviewed.
What the ruling means
A finding that a shooting was justified usually means prosecutors do not plan to bring criminal charges against the officer. It does not end other possible actions, such as a civil lawsuit or internal discipline. The family has retained Crump, and the reports reviewed do not say what they plan to do next.
What’s next
The family and the community’s response, and whether more records are released, are the next things to watch. This story will be updated when officials release the attorney general’s findings or the family responds.
