Mississippi’s attorney general ruled that a police officer’s fatal shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley was justified, declaring the June incident lawful despite the child being held in his mother’s lap when the officer opened fire. The decision came four months after the shooting in Senatobia, a small city near Memphis.
What Happened That Day
On June 14, Senatobia police responded to a shoplifting call alleging Vellesiya Wiley and her friend Latoya Ferrell stole diapers from a store. Neither woman has been charged with any crime, and authorities have released no evidence confirming the alleged theft. According to police reports, the women and child left the store and entered their vehicle as officers arrived in the parking lot.
Officers drew their weapons as the vehicle began moving. Wiley lifted her baby up to show police there was a child in the car. Sergeant Hunter Foster, a white officer, fired into the vehicle, killing Kohen and wounding Ferrell. Both women and the child were Black. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation claimed the driver headed toward officers, nearly striking one, prompting the shooting.
The tragedy occurred on June 14, 2026, in a Senatobia Walmart parking lot during a police
Conflicting Accounts Emerge
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, released an independent autopsy showing Kohen was shot from the side of the vehicle, not the front. This finding contradicts the official narrative that officers fired because the car drove toward them. Crump noted that nearly three months after the shooting, the family still had not been allowed to view any footage from the incident. Law enforcement has not announced when or if they will release video evidence.
Vellesiya Wiley spoke at a press conference following her son’s death, saying she watched her baby take both his first and last breath. The family continues demanding transparency and accountability from authorities investigating the shooting.
Troubled Department History
The Senatobia Police Department, serving a town that is approximately 40 percent Black, has faced multiple controversies in recent years. In September, the city fired its police chief for reportedly using racial slurs. In 2023, national attention focused on the department after an officer arrested a 10-year-old Black boy for urinating in public, placing him in a cell. That child later received three months’ probation.
The town’s leadership has since replaced the police chief twice. Harold Vanderford led the department when Kohen was killed. He has been replaced by Angelica Maze, who is Black. These leadership changes followed mounting pressure from residents and civil rights advocates demanding reform within the department.
Wow. Over stolen diapers. I’d be tossing full diapers at that police station. The LEOs couldn’t side step the car’s advance? Firing at the car’s occupants over stolen diapers? REALLY? “These women stole diapers, gotta teach them a lesson! Kill the child, won’t need any diapers now.” Ha Ha Ha. Not a laughing matter, boys.