Newly released body-camera footage has brought renewed attention to the case of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy who was fatally shot during a police encounter outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. The footage has intensified questions about the officer’s actions, the moments leading up to the shooting, and the state’s decision that the use of force was justified.

The incident occurred on June 14, 2026, when Senatobia police officers were at the Walmart for an unrelated matter. According to investigators, an employee alerted officers that two women were reportedly leaving the store after an alleged shoplifting incident involving diapers and baby clothes.

Kohen was in a vehicle with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and his great-aunt, Latoya Ferrell, who was driving. Video from the scene shows the women entering the car as officers moved into the parking lot to stop them from leaving.

WHAT THE BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS
The newly available recordings provide several perspectives on the encounter, including footage from police body cameras and Walmart surveillance cameras.

As officers approached the vehicle and ordered the driver to stop, the car reversed, struck a parked vehicle, and then moved forward toward officers. Investigators said the driver’s actions placed an officer in danger.

An officer fired multiple shots into the vehicle. Kohen was struck in the torso, while Ferrell was also critically injured. The vehicle subsequently left the immediate area, and officers continued pursuing it.

In footage recorded later, an officer can be heard saying that he had not realized a baby was inside the vehicle when he fired. That moment has become a major point of discussion as the public examines the circumstances surrounding the encounter.

Although the recordings provide additional detail, they have not ended the disagreement over whether the officer’s response was necessary. The footage has instead become central to competing interpretations of what happened in those final moments.

STATE INVESTIGATION REACHES A CONTROVERSIAL CONCLUSION
On October 19, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that its review had concluded the officers’ use of force was justified. The decision meant the state would not pursue criminal charges against the officer in connection with the shooting.

The announcement prompted strong reactions from Kohen’s family and their legal representatives, who have challenged the findings and questioned whether the officer could have avoided firing.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, has argued that the response was excessive given the nature of the original report. He has also called for further scrutiny of the incident and questioned the decision not to bring the case before a grand jury.

The family has maintained that the allegations that brought officers to the scene did not justify the outcome. Neither Vellesiya Wiley nor Ferrell was charged with shoplifting in connection with the incident.

Authorities, meanwhile, have pointed to the vehicle’s movement toward officers as a central factor in their assessment of the encounter.

FAMILY MEMBERS SAY THE FOOTAGE HAS DEEPENED THEIR QUESTIONS
For Kohen’s relatives, watching the recordings has meant confronting the final moments of a child whose life ended before his second birthday.

His grandmother, Veronica Roberson, publicly criticized the state’s conclusion after viewing the footage. Other relatives have also expressed frustration, saying they cannot reconcile the official finding with what they believe the recordings show.

The family’s attorneys have continued to question the officer’s positioning and the decision to fire toward the vehicle. They have also highlighted an independent autopsy that classified Kohen’s death as a homicide and identified a wound to the side of his body.

That medical finding addresses the manner of death, but it does not by itself determine whether the officer’s actions were legally justified. The legal question remains distinct from the family’s concerns about how the encounter unfolded.

AN OFFICER’S RESIGNATION ADDS ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT
The case took another turn when attorneys for the Wiley family said Officer Hunter Foster had resigned from the Senatobia Police Department. Foster had been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

His attorney previously argued that the driver’s actions endangered officers and that Foster had to respond to an immediate threat. The state’s decision not to pursue criminal charges followed its review of the available evidence.

The resignation, however, has not resolved the questions raised by the family or the broader public discussion surrounding the footage.

As the case continues to draw attention, the central dispute remains whether the force used during the encounter was warranted under the circumstances. The released recordings offer a more detailed view of the incident, but the competing interpretations of those moments remain sharply divided.

For Kohen’s family, the state’s conclusion has brought no sense of closure. They continue to seek accountability and answers about how an encounter that began with a report of suspected shoplifting ended with the loss of a young child.

SOURCE

New York Post — Bodycam shows moment Mississippi cop opens fire on fleeing ‘shoplifters,’ killing 1-year-old boy

https://nypost.com/2026/10/21/us-news/kohen-wiley-shooting-revealed-in-police-bodycam-video/