Newly surfaced body camera video is drawing renewed attention to the June 14 fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, capturing the tense seconds before officers opened fire on a vehicle carrying the child.
According to footage reported by TMZ.com, officers entered the Walmart parking lot after reports that two women suspected of taking diapers and baby clothes were leaving the store. The video shows the women entering a gray sedan in which Kohen was present, while officers repeatedly instructed the driver to stop.
The sedan backed into a parked SUV and then surged forward, appearing to head toward the officers. At least one officer fired as the car moved between them. Kohen, who was seated on the lap of his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, was hit by the gunfire and died. The driver, Latoya Ferrell, also was struck and was critically wounded.
In the recording, which was obtained by Darkhorse Press, one officer who was not identified can be heard stating, "I didn't even see a f***ing baby in her lap," TMZ.com reports. A second officer replies, "Nobody knew the baby was there," according to TMZ.com.
The release of the video comes just days after the office of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch concluded that the officer's use of deadly force was justified and that no criminal charges would be pursued.
Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing Kohen's family, has criticized that determination and called for every piece of footage related to the shooting to be made public. In a post on X, Crump questioned how the conclusion could be accepted while the family and the public have not been permitted to view the body-camera video. He also referenced a department whose chief was fired following reports of racial slurs in his text messages, and noted that an officer faced a complaint alleging a racially offensive remark two days before Kohen was shot. Crump wrote that if the footage supports the state's decision, it should be released, adding that the family will not stop fighting until it gets the truth.
The case has intensified scrutiny of the Senatobia Police Department and of the state's review process, with the family's legal team pressing for transparency as the community continues to seek answers about the death of a child during what began as a suspected shoplifting response.
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Ava Hart
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