Family Challenges Official Ruling After Police Shooting Kills 1-Year-Old Boy in Walmart Parking Lot

The death of a 1-year-old boy during a police shooting in Mississippi has sparked renewed outrage after state officials ruled that the officer’s use of deadly force was justified. The child’s family, however, is challenging that conclusion, arguing that video footage and independent medical findings raise serious questions about the circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter.

The boy, Kohen Wiley, was shot on June 14, 2026, in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi. Police officers had responded to a reported shoplifting incident involving two women and a child. According to the initial account from investigators, the women left the store and entered a vehicle, and the driver allegedly moved toward officers, nearly striking one of them. A police officer, identified as Sgt. Hunter Foster, then fired his weapon at the vehicle, fatally striking Kohen, who was sitting in the car with his mother.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced on October 19 that her office had concluded its review of the shooting and determined that the officer’s use of force was justified. The decision meant that the state would not pursue criminal charges against Foster in connection with the incident. However, the announcement provided limited details about the evidence and reasoning behind the conclusion, prompting criticism from the child’s relatives and civil rights advocates.

Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has disputed the official account of what happened. She previously said she and her friend had gone to Walmart for diapers and denied that they had stolen anything. According to her account, the situation escalated as they attempted to leave the parking lot. She said she lifted her baby to make officers aware that a child was inside the vehicle. Neither woman had been charged with shoplifting, according to reports.

The family’s attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, has also questioned whether the officer faced an immediate threat that would justify the use of deadly force. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family reportedly found that the bullet entered Kohen’s body from the side, a finding the family’s legal team argues conflicts with the claim that the vehicle was moving directly toward the officer. The officer’s legal representative, meanwhile, has maintained that Foster faced danger from the moving vehicle and had no choice but to fire.

The controversy intensified on October 22, when Kohen’s relatives reviewed police body-camera footage and publicly challenged the state’s conclusion. The family and its attorneys argued that the video raised further questions about the officer’s actions and whether the shooting could have been avoided. They also criticized officials for the way the decision was communicated to the family and called for greater transparency in the investigation.

Beyond the circumstances of the shooting, the case has drawn additional scrutiny because of reported concerns about racial bias within the local police department. Reports have described allegations involving racist remarks by an officer and the dismissal of a former police chief following revelations about racist language in private messages. These issues have intensified calls from the family and community advocates for an independent federal investigation.

As the legal and public debate continues, Kohen’s family is demanding accountability and answers about how a police response to a reported shoplifting incident ended with the death of a young child. The state has determined that the shooting was justified, but the family strongly disagrees and says the available evidence warrants further examination. Their calls for a fuller investigation have placed renewed attention on police use of deadly force, transparency and the protection of innocent bystanders during law enforcement encounters.

Source: People Magazine