Family Demands Police Shooting Video
Mississippi Family Demands Video Release After Police Fatally Shoot 1-Year-Old in Walmart Parking Lot
One-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by police on June 14 in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi — during a response to a suspected theft of a box of diapers. Now his family, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, is demanding authorities release all video footage of the shooting, including body camera, dash camera, and Walmart security footage. AP reported that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case but has not released any video.
Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, was in the vehicle when an officer opened fire as it began to move. "I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath," she said, according to AP. Crump told reporters on June 22: "The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become."
What Police Say Happened vs. What the Family Says
Police and the family tell very different stories. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation says the driver used the vehicle as a weapon, driving toward officers and "almost striking" one, forcing the officer to fire in self-defense. MBI spokesperson Bailey Martin called the case a "top priority" but gave no timeline for releasing footage, according to AP.
The family flatly disputes that account. Vellesiya Wiley says the car was not moving toward officers — it was pulling away. She told reporters she held Kohen up to show police that a baby was inside the vehicle. Attorney Van Turner, co-counsel for the family, says the officer was standing to the side of the car, not in its path, KTAR reported.
Family Calls for Independent Autopsy as Video Stays Hidden
With no footage released, the Wiley family announced plans for an independent autopsy. Results are expected around June 30. Crump says the direction of the bullets will be key — it could prove or disprove whether the officer was ever truly in danger. The funeral for Kohen is scheduled for June 27, Local 10 reported.
The Senatobia Board of Mayor and Aldermen placed the involved officer on administrative leave on June 18. Public records identified Sergeant Hunter Foster as an officer present at the scene, according to MyNorthwest. Police Chief Harold Vanderford has largely refused to comment while the MBI investigation is active.
Senatobia's Long History of Troubling Police Encounters
Residents say the shooting is not an isolated incident. In May 2025, a woman named Breshari Faulkner was forcefully pulled from her car at the same Walmart during a dispute over a handicap parking space. In 2023, an officer was fired after arresting a 10-year-old Black boy for urinating in public — and the city later settled a federal lawsuit with the family, Daily Gazette reported.
Senatobia has about 8,354 residents, roughly 40% of whom are Black. More than 200 protesters gathered at the Walmart and City Hall on June 16. Police responded with tear gas. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center, responded publicly: "We are treating items on a shelf as more valuable than a child. That is not just bad policing; it is a moral collapse," according to Voice of Alexandria.
Legal Experts Question the Decision to Fire Into a Moving Car
Law enforcement experts say firing into a moving vehicle is generally discouraged under federal standards. The key legal test — Graham v. Connor — asks whether an officer faced a real and immediate threat. Critics say responding to a misdemeanor shoplifting call by firing into a car holding a baby does not meet that bar, Action News Jax reported.
Mississippi's attorney general historically declines to prosecute in roughly one-third of officer-involved shooting cases. A major civil rights lawsuit is widely expected. The Senatobia Police Department could also face a federal "pattern and practice" investigation — similar to what the DOJ recently launched against nearby Lexington, Mississippi — Click Orlando reported.
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