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SENATOBIA, Miss. (BFMG) — The family of a 1-year-old boy shot and killed during a police encounter in a Walmart parking lot in north Mississippi is demanding answers and accountability as state investigators probe the incident.
The child, identified by relatives as Kohen Wiley, died Sunday after officers with the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Office opened fire on a vehicle outside the Walmart on U.S. Highway 51, according to authorities.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said officers were responding to a reported shoplifting when they encountered two adults and a young child leaving the store and getting into a vehicle. Investigators said officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver accelerated in the direction of officers, nearly striking one of them. An officer then discharged a weapon, and the vehicle fled the scene.
Authorities said the driver, the child’s mother and the child later arrived at a local hospital. Kohen was pronounced dead, and a woman from the vehicle was listed in critical condition.
Relatives say the shooting has left the family devastated and searching for explanations. They say they are struggling to understand how a shoplifting call — which they believe involved diapers — escalated into gunfire that killed a toddler and gravely injured an adult.
Family members have called for everyone involved in the chain of events leading up to the shooting to be held responsible. They say their focus now is on pursuing justice for Kohen and ensuring that the circumstances surrounding his death are fully examined.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry into the shooting. Once its investigation is complete, the agency is expected to present its findings to the appropriate prosecutors.
In a statement, the Senatobia Police Department said it is committed to transparency and pledged to release additional information as the investigation progresses and key facts are verified.
