Mississippi toddler killed after officer fires into fleeing vehicle in Walmart case

A 1-year-old boy died after an officer fired into a vehicle leaving a Senatobia Walmart, and his family is pressing for an independent autopsy before the state’s investigation settles the shooting. The case has put fresh pressure on local officials to explain what happened, why the shot was fired, and why the video has not been released.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation says officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shoplifting call at the Walmart on U.S. 51 around 2:05 p.m. local time on June 14. Investigators said they encountered two adults and a child getting into a vehicle as they tried to leave the scene. According to the state account, the driver allegedly drove toward officers and nearly struck one, and an officer fired into the vehicle as it fled. The child, identified by family and reporting as Kohen Wiley, later died at a hospital. An adult in the vehicle was critically injured.

Family representatives said Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a family friend were in the vehicle when the shooting happened. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Memphis attorney Van Turner are representing the family and said they want an independent autopsy to verify the entry and exit wounds, better understand bullet trajectory, and determine the positions of officers when shots were fired. Crump said the family hopes preliminary autopsy results will be available by July 1. Funeral services for Kohen Wiley are scheduled for Saturday, June 27.

The officer who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave and has not been publicly identified. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry, and video footage of the shooting has not been released. Officials also moved to suspend the officer at the local level, with the Senatobia Board of Mayor and Aldermen taking action on June 16. Senatobia Mayor Carolyn Stokes later released a statement on June 19.

The shooting has triggered anger far beyond the Walmart parking lot. Community members gathered outside City Hall in Senatobia, with one report estimating about 200 people present, as residents and advocates demanded answers and accountability. The case has also deepened long-running strain between police and Black residents in the small north Mississippi town, where Kohen’s mother has said she has suffered panic attacks since the shooting.

For the family, the independent autopsy has become more than a legal step. It is a test of whether the physical evidence can answer the central questions that remain: how the bullet traveled, who was in what position, and whether the official account can withstand outside forensic scrutiny.