The attorney representing the family of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy killed when a police officer fired into a vehicle during a Senatobia shoplifting response, has called for the immediate release of body-worn camera footage following the state attorney general’s decision not to bring criminal charges.
In a brief statement, Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced it had completed its review of the June 14 shooting and concluded that the unnamed Senatobia police officer’s use of force was justified. The decision arrives months after the toddler’s death sparked community protests and intensified scrutiny over local law enforcement.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Kohen’s family, questioned how anyone could accept the state’s conclusion while the public and the family remain barred from viewing the video evidence. Crump emphasized that transparency is necessary to substantiate the state’s claims.
“If the footage supports the state’s decision, release it,” Crump said in a statement posted to social media. “We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth.”
Crump pointed to broader institutional concerns within the department, noting that former Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired last month after news outlets revealed he had repeatedly used racial slurs in text messages dating to the previous summer. Crump also highlighted that the officer involved in the shooting had faced a complaint alleging a racially offensive remark just two days before the incident.
Martin Zummach, the attorney representing the officer who fired the fatal shot, maintained that the findings clear his client of any criminal wrongdoing. Zummach asserted that the driver of the vehicle attempted to run down the officers at the scene.
“He had no choice but to fire his weapon,” Zummach said, adding that the driver tried to kill his client and other responding personnel.
The shooting occurred as Senatobia officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. According to investigators, officers observed Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and a friend carrying the toddler as they left the store, entered a vehicle, and drove away. Police suspected the women had stolen diapers and baby clothes, though neither woman has been charged, and Wiley has denied any theft occurred.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation stated shortly after the incident that officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove toward them, nearly striking one officer before an official discharged a weapon and the vehicle fled.
Vellesiya Wiley offered a different account of the encounter, stating she walked away because the initial stop did not involve her. She said that as her friend began to reverse the vehicle, she lifted her son up to show officers that a child was inside as authorities drew their weapons. Wiley stated that after she placed her baby back down, multiple shots were fired, striking Kohen in the rib cage and wounding her friend in the arm and thigh.
An independent autopsy previously commissioned by the family indicated that the fatal shot was fired from the passenger-side window of the vehicle, which family representatives argue contradicts claims that the car was actively moving toward the officers.
To date, authorities have not released any video recordings, including body-worn camera footage or parking lot surveillance. State officials previously stated that evidence would be withheld until the investigation concluded.
Alex Gilbert, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, stated that while the investigation remains active, department policy dictates that incident reports and body camera footage are released upon the conclusion of critical incident investigations. Gilbert noted that requests for investigative reports and video recordings can be submitted through the public records request process for review under applicable law.
