Key facts
- A 1-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley, was fatally shot by police in Senatobia, Mississippi.
- Police were responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart when the shooting occurred.
- Authorities claim the vehicle the child was in drove toward officers, prompting the shooting.
- The child's mother disputes the police account and claims the items were paid for.
- The incident has sparked protests and renewed calls for police accountability and reform.
- The shooting has drawn comparisons to other high-profile cases involving Black individuals and police.
The fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police in Senatobia, Mississippi, has intensified tensions between law enforcement and the town's Black residents. Kohen Wiley died after officers responded to a shoplifting call at a local Walmart on Sunday.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers attempted to stop the vehicle the suspects were in, but the driver allegedly drove toward them, prompting an officer to fire their weapon. The vehicle then fled the scene.
Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, disputes the police account, stating in a video posted by civil rights attorney Ben Crump that the vehicle was not driven toward officers and that her friend, who was driving, had paid for the diapers she was carrying. She believes her friend was not driving toward the officers because they were on the right side and she was driving toward the left.
Policing expert Ian Adams commented that shooting into a moving vehicle is a dangerous tactic that should be avoided, especially given the potential for other occupants.
The incident has drawn comparisons to other cases where Black individuals have died in encounters with police over minor offenses, including the 2023 shooting of Ta'Kiya Young in Ohio and the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Civil rights activists, such as Bernice King, have condemned the shooting, calling it a 'moral collapse' and highlighting concerns about systemic racism in law enforcement.
Community leaders in Senatobia, where Black residents make up about 40% of the population, have noted a history of problematic interactions between police and the Black community. Marquell Bridges of the Building Bridges Coalition cited a previous incident where an officer threatened a woman with a Taser and arrested her, and attorney Carlos Moore mentioned a case where a Black boy's family settled a lawsuit over an officer's conduct.
Police and city officials have not responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press.