Mississippi officials have decided that an officer was justified in firing the shots that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, even as the public continues to wait for answers about the deadly encounter outside a Walmart.
The decision, announced October 19 by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, means the officer will not face criminal charges in connection with the toddler’s death. However, the announcement offered little explanation about why investigators determined that the shooting was legally justified.
State officials completed their review of the Kohen Wiley shooting after examining investigative findings submitted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. The attorney general’s statement did not identify the officer who fired or detail the evidence supporting the decision.
That absence of publicly disclosed evidence is especially significant in a case where the child’s family has challenged the initial police account.
Kohen was killed June 14 during a police response to an alleged theft of diapers and baby clothing at a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. His mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and another woman were with him in a vehicle when an officer opened fire.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation initially maintained that the driver moved the vehicle toward officers and nearly struck one of them. Investigators said the perceived threat prompted an officer to shoot.
But Kohen’s mother disputed that version of events, including the allegation that the women had stolen merchandise.
According to the Associated Press, neither woman had been charged with theft. The outlet also reported that Vellesiya challenged the assertion that the vehicle moved toward police as authorities described.
The competing accounts have made video evidence a major issue in the case.
Investigators obtained footage related to the encounter, including police recordings and Walmart surveillance video. Yet the recordings have not been made publicly available, preventing an independent assessment of the officer’s actions.
The significance of that footage extends beyond whether the vehicle moved. It could also help establish where officers were positioned, what warnings were given, how quickly the confrontation escalated, and whether the occupants had an opportunity to respond before gunfire erupted.
The footage could help show exactly what happened before the officer opened fire.
The family’s attorneys, Ben Crump and Van Turner, have spent months pressing for the evidence to be disclosed. Their demands gained additional attention after an independent examination of Kohen’s injuries raised questions about the direction of the gunfire.
An independent autopsy, presented by the family’s legal team in July, classified the toddler’s death as a homicide. The examination also documented the trajectory of the bullet that struck him.
A homicide determination in an autopsy does not automatically mean a crime was committed. It describes a death caused by another person, while criminal responsibility requires a separate legal assessment.
That distinction is now central to the Kohen Wiley shooting. The independent findings established the manner of death, while the attorney general’s decision addressed whether criminal charges were warranted against the officer.
The case has also exposed longstanding concerns about transparency within the Senatobia Police Department.
In July, Mississippi Today reported that Sgt. Hunter Foster, an officer identified in records connected to the investigation, had previously been accused of overstating a vehicle-related threat during a separate encounter in 2019.
The earlier incident resulted in a federal lawsuit that was settled in 2022. Those allegations do not prove misconduct in Kohen’s death, and the attorney general’s October announcement did not identify the officer responsible for firing the fatal shots.
Still, the disclosure added another dimension to questions surrounding the police response.
For Senatobia residents, the controversy has extended well beyond the investigation itself.
Demonstrators marched approximately three miles through the community in June, seeking access to recordings, police communications, and other evidence.
The demonstrations followed days of growing anger, including an earlier gathering where officers used tear gas to disperse protesters.
Residents also confronted local leadership at public meetings, questioning how a reported property offense could escalate into a deadly confrontation involving a child.
Community activist Patrick Lumumba captured that frustration in comments to Action News 5.
“It’s a rage that’s boiling in our community. It’s a righteous indignation that this community have that’s, its not going to be satisfied unless justice is served,”
The controversy eventually reached state lawmakers.
In August, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus called for greater accountability and communication from officials responsible for investigating Kohen’s death.
Caucus chairman Kabir Karriem stressed that the family deserved transparency throughout the process.
“Kohen Wiley was only one year old. His family deserves answers, respect, and the assurance that the institutions investigating his death are accountable to the people they serve.”
The question now is whether the conclusion of the criminal investigation will lead to additional disclosures.
The state has cleared the officer, but Kohen’s family is still demanding answers about what happened that day. They have continued pushing for the release of footage that could shed more light on the shooting.
Authorities have not publicly explained whether additional investigative records will be released following the decision.
Kohen would have turned two years old on November 1.
Instead, his family is approaching another milestone without him, while the state has closed its criminal review of the shooting that took his life.
For the public, the unanswered question is no longer simply what Mississippi officials decided. It is whether the evidence that led to that decision will be made available for everyone to examine.
