Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (left) and 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.(Photo Credit: Mississippi Free Press | Graphic Edit: BDUS News 24)
In a highly controversial and legally contentious decision, the state of Mississippi has concluded its review of a tragic law enforcement incident. The police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, which occurred during a chaotic encounter in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi, has officially been ruled “justified” by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office.
The announcement has triggered immediate national outrage, drawing sharp criticism from civil rights advocates, activists, and the legal representation of the grieving grieving family, who continue to demand full transparency and the release of withheld surveillance footage.
Background of the Tragic Incident in Senatobia
The fatal incident took place on June 14, 2026, outside a retail store in Senatobia, Mississippi. Law enforcement officers had responded to a shoplifting call alleging that the child’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, alongside Latoya Ferrell, had attempted to take a pack of diapers. As officers arrived at the scene, the two women exited the store with one-year-old Kohen Wiley, entered their vehicle, and attempted to leave the parking lot.
According to eyewitness accounts and initial investigative disclosures, officers drew their weapons as the vehicle prepared to move. In a desperate attempt to signal law enforcement, Vellesiya Wiley lifted her baby son up inside the car to show officers that a young child was present. Despite this, an officer identified as Hunter Foster fired directly into the vehicle. The gunfire tragically killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley while he sat in his mother’s lap and wounded Latoya Ferrell. While the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation claimed the vehicle drove toward officers, neither woman was ever formally charged with a crime, and officials have not publicly presented concrete evidence of the alleged shoplifting.
Outrage, Withheld Footage, and Demands for Justice
Following the Attorney General’s clearance of officer Hunter Foster, civil rights attorney Ben Crump—representing the Wiley family—strongly denounced the ruling. In a public statement, Crump questioned how authorities could declare the police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley justified when key evidence, including overhead parking lot videos and body-camera footage, has still not been publicly released.
Local activists, including Building Bridges Coalition president Marquell Bridges, also condemned the decision, pointing to broader systemic controversies within the Senatobia Police Department. Recent reports have revealed prior internal misconduct allegations against officer Foster, alongside the firing of the city’s former white police chief, Harold Vanderford, following revelations of racist text messages. As public pressure mounts for the Department of Public Safety to release all remaining video evidence, the police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley remains at the center of an intense national dialogue regarding accountability and transparency in policing.
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