SENATOBIA, Miss. — Mississippi’s attorney general has concluded that a Senatobia police officer was justified in the use of force during a June incident at a Walmart parking lot that resulted in the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The finding closes the state’s criminal investigation while leaving unresolved community outrage and independent questions about what occurred.
State investigators back officer’s actions
The attorney general’s office said its probe found the officer’s actions were justified after the encounter in mid-June when officers responded to a reported shoplifting. According to state reports, officers saw Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen’s mother, carrying the child as she and a friend left the store, entered a vehicle and began to drive away. Police say diapers and baby clothes were the items allegedly taken.
Authorities reported that officers attempted to stop the vehicle and that the car moved toward law enforcement, prompting an officer to fire into the vehicle. Kohen was struck and killed; the driver — a friend of the child’s mother — also was hit.
Family and civil rights advocates dispute account
The decision comes after days of public attention and national scrutiny. In a video released after the shooting, Vellesiya Wiley denied that she or her friend had taken merchandise and disputed the account that the vehicle moved toward officers. The family has retained nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has pointed to a preliminary independent autopsy said to show Kohen was struck from the side of the car, challenging the official narrative that the car was heading toward officers.
The state’s determination does not erase those competing accounts or the broader tensions that preceded the shooting. Senatobia’s relationship with many of its Black residents has frayed in recent years following several high-profile confrontations involving local police.
Recent incidents have strained trust
Community activists have cited a string of encounters that have eroded confidence in the department, including:
- An incident last year in the same Walmart lot in which a Senatobia officer pulled a Black woman from her car, threatened her with a Taser and arrested her during a dispute over a handicapped parking space.
- A separate episode two years earlier in which a Senatobia officer was fired for arresting a 10-year-old boy for urinating in public.
- The recent dismissal of former Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford by the city board of aldermen following reporting by national and regional outlets.
Those confrontations have helped fuel local calls for accountability and changes in policing practices.
What the attorney general’s finding means
By concluding the officer was justified in using force, the attorney general’s office effectively closes the criminal inquiry into the shooting by state investigators. The finding does not preclude other legal actions, including civil suits, nor does it resolve the differing private and public accounts of how the vehicle moved or where the fatal shot entered the child.
Representatives for the Wiley family have emphasized forensic findings from a preliminary independent autopsy and have called for continued scrutiny. The family’s legal team has signaled its intent to pursue further legal avenues on behalf of Kohen.
Local context and next steps
The shooting and the attorney general’s conclusion are likely to sustain focus on policing in Senatobia and on the wider questions of how officers respond to low-level theft reports. Community leaders, civil rights advocates and elected officials will face pressure to outline steps to rebuild trust and clarify use-of-force policies.
| Incident | Year |
|---|---|
| Shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley | 2026 (June) |
| Officer pulled woman from car, Taser threatened | 2025 |
| Officer fired for arresting 10-year-old | 2024 |
City officials and the Senatobia Police Department have not publicly released additional details beyond the state’s accounting. Calls seeking comment from the department and the attorney general’s office were not returned immediately.
The case has drawn attention beyond Senatobia because of the age of the victim and the broader national debate over police interactions in communities of color. Advocates say the outcome underscores the need for transparent investigations, clear policies governing traffic stops and vehicle encounters, and independent oversight mechanisms to restore community trust.
As developments continue, residents and local leaders will be watching for any civil litigation or administrative actions arising from the shooting and the agency findings. For now, the attorney general’s ruling represents the formal end of the criminal probe by state investigators while leaving unresolved the conflicting narratives about what led to the fatal shot.
Curtis Whitfield, State Correspondent
