A Mississippi police officer shot 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley while responding to a shoplifting call on Sunday, killing him and critically wounding an adult.
The June 14 shooting involved officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Department. The officer shot Wiley while he was inside a silver sedan in the parking lot of a Walmart.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety released a statement on June 14, alleging that the shooting happened in response to one of two subjects driving “in the direction of” officers. A clip of cellphone video obtained by Fox 13 Memphis shows a car driving away from officers, but it does not appear to show the shooting itself. A photo of the car shows multiple bullet holes in the windshield, including a bullet hole on the passenger side of the front windshield.
Notably, the DPS statement appears to acknowledge that police witnessed the presence of Kohen Wiley prior to the individuals entering their vehicle, and before the officer discharged the weapon. The officer has not been identified.
“Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on U.S. 51. Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one,” the statement read in part. “An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene. The subjects arrived at a local hospital where one juvenile child in the vehicle was pronounced deceased, and another subject had critical injuries. No law enforcement officers received any serious physical injury.”
Members of Kohen Wiley’s family have denied that any shoplifting took place. WREG reported that, before the shooting, a witness saw two women exit the store: one carrying a single box of diapers, and one carrying the infant child. Family told WREG that Kohen’s mother was riding in the passenger seat holding the child when the officer shot him and that the aunt, who was driving, was in critical condition. Another witness told the news station that she saw the car driving away with police officers chasing after it on foot just before hearing gunshots. At present, no arrests have been announced in the incident.
“Senatobia Police Department get away with too much stuff,” WREGH reported Kohen’s great-grandmother Carolyn Stokes, as saying. “I hear about it all the time. It’s in the news all the time. Y’all probably down here all the time, recording this stuff, but it’s just too much.”
Members of the community plan to gather at Senatobia City Hall at 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon to call for accountability for Kohen Wiley’s killing.
The Senatobia Police Department released a statement on social media shortly after the shooting, acknowledging that the investigation had been turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and promising eventual transparency.
“The Senatobia Police Department is currently investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred today at approximately 2:05 PM at Walmart,” the June 14 statement said. “Preliminary reports indicate that officers responded to a report of shoplifting, which led to officers discharging their firearms.”
Walmart released a statement to Action 5 News in Memphis.
“We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store,” the statement reads. “The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We’re working with law enforcement as they continue investigating.
Mississippi Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said there was a bullet hole in the “passenger side window” due to an error introduced in editing. It should have said that the bullet hole in the passenger side of the windshield. We apologize for the error.
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