A shoplifting call over a box of diapers ended with a 1-year-old child dead, an adult woman fighting for her life, and a Mississippi community demanding answers.
On June 14, an officer responding to a reported theft at a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, opened fire on a vehicle carrying 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley. The toddler was struck and later died at a local hospital. Another passenger suffered critical injuries. The shooting has triggered protests, drawn national scrutiny, and put the conduct of Mississippi police under a microscope.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers encountered two adults and a child who were leaving the store and getting into a vehicle. Authorities say officers attempted to stop the car and that the driver allegedly accelerated toward them, nearly hitting an officer. Police say an officer then fired into the vehicle. The car left the scene and arrived at a hospital a short time later, where Kohen was pronounced dead.
But witness accounts and statements from family members paint a far different picture of the moments leading up to the shooting.
Several witnesses told the Mississippi Free Press that they saw two women leave Walmart, one carrying a box of diapers and the other carrying Kohen. One witness said officers were already waiting in the parking lot when the group exited the store. Another described seeing officers chase the vehicle on foot before hearing gunfire.
"Then I hear gunshots and I'm like, I know they're not shooting at a car that's leaving in a public, this is Walmart," one witness told reporters.
Family members have denied that any shoplifting occurred. They also say Kohen's mother was holding the child inside the vehicle when bullets tore through the car. Photos released after the shooting show multiple bullet holes in the windshield, including on the passenger side. No arrests have been announced.
National civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Van Turner have since joined the family's legal team. Crump did not mince words.
"A 1-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot," he said in a statement.
Crump added that Kohen's mother, who has not been charged with a crime, tried to tell officers there was a baby inside the vehicle. "They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old."
The shooting has ignited outrage across Senatobia. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside City Hall, the Tate County Courthouse, and the Walmart where the incident occurred. Demonstrators demanded accountability as officials promised transparency. By Tuesday evening, June 16, tensions escalated further when law enforcement deployed tear gas against crowds gathered outside the store.
The officer involved has been placed on leave while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducts its inquiry. The findings will ultimately be turned over to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
The case has also revived broader concerns about police violence involving children. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Black children are six times more likely than white children to be fatally shot by police.
