Family Demands Answers After 1-Year-Old Boy Is Fatally Shot by Police During Incident Outside Walmart

A grieving Mississippi family is demanding answers after their 1-year-old son was fatally shot by a police officer outside a Walmart store. The child’s relatives have requested an independent autopsy, saying they want a clearer understanding of what happened and whether the officer’s account of the shooting matches the available evidence.

The child, Kohen Wiley, died on June 14, 2026, in Senatobia, Mississippi, after an officer fired at a vehicle during an incident involving an alleged shoplifting call. His death has prompted public protests and renewed calls for transparency as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers responded after receiving information about a suspected shoplifting incident. Authorities said two adults entered a vehicle with a child and that officers attempted to stop the car. The state agency reported that the driver moved in the direction of officers, nearly striking one, before an officer opened fire.

Kohen was inside the vehicle with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a family friend. The child was killed, while the family friend suffered serious gunshot injuries. The mother’s account differs from the authorities’ initial description of the encounter. She has said that the vehicle was moving away from officers and that she was holding her baby when the shots were fired.

Seeking independent answers, the family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who announced plans for a separate autopsy. The family said it wanted to establish the precise location of the bullet wound and the path the bullet took through the child’s body.

On July 1, Crump presented preliminary findings from the independent examination, conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell. According to the attorney, the findings indicated that the bullet entered Kohen’s torso on his right side and exited on his left. Crump argued that the findings raised questions about the initial police account of the vehicle moving toward an officer.

However, the preliminary findings alone do not establish the vehicle’s exact position or conclusively determine whether the officer faced an immediate threat. Experts have stressed that investigators must consider all available evidence, including the vehicle’s damage, witness accounts and video footage, before drawing firm conclusions.

The family has repeatedly called for the release of police body-camera recordings, dashcam footage and surveillance video from Walmart. They believe those recordings could help clarify where the vehicle was positioned, how the shooting unfolded and what officers could see before the shots were fired.

Mississippi authorities have said the state Bureau of Investigation is handling the case. The officer involved was placed on administrative leave while the investigation continued. Officials have indicated that body-camera footage would be released after the investigation is completed.

The shooting has sparked grief and anger in Senatobia, a small city in northwestern Mississippi. Community members have gathered to remember Kohen and call for accountability, while his family continues to cope with the loss of a child who had barely begun his life.

For Kohen’s mother, the tragedy has been especially devastating. She has publicly described the pain of losing her only child and said she wants the public to understand what happened that day.

The case has also raised broader questions about the use of deadly force during encounters involving alleged minor offenses, particularly when children are present. Those questions will depend in part on what investigators establish about the officer’s actions and the threat perceived at the time.

For now, the investigation remains central to the family’s search for answers. They say they want transparency, a full account of the events and an independent review of the evidence so that the circumstances surrounding Kohen’s death can be understood.

Source: people