Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the use of force was “justified” in a June parking lot shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, according to her office’s statement cited by BBC News.
Investigators’ account of the shooting
Police were called to a Walmart in Senatobia on 14 June over a report of allegedly stolen baby supplies, authorities said, per BBC News. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said officers saw two women and a child walking to a car and tried to stop the vehicle. The car was allegedly driven at an officer, nearly striking the officer, according to the MBI’s account reported by BBC News. An officer then fired, fatally striking the child and critically injuring the driver, identified as Latoya Ferrell.
Family disputes theft claim; no charges filed
Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has denied that she or Ferrell were stealing, BBC News reported. She said she lifted her son from her lap to show officers he was in the passenger seat before shots were fired. Neither Wiley nor Ferrell has been charged with a crime, according to BBC News.
Footage not released; dueling statements
Police have not released body-camera or parking lot CCTV video from the incident, BBC News reported. The family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, objected to Fitch’s finding and said, “How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage? If the footage supports the state’s decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth.”
Martin Zummach, the lawyer for the officer who fired, told the Associated Press that the driver had “tried to kill” his client and said the officer “had no choice but to fire his weapon.”
Race, protests, and recent turmoil
The shooting occurred on Juneteenth and prompted protests in Senatobia, where protesters alleged race played a role, according to BBC News. BBC News reported that Kohen and both women are Black, while the officer who fired is reportedly white. BBC News also reported that last month the city fired its white police chief after newspapers unearthed text messages in which he repeatedly used racial slurs.
What the ruling changes
Fitch’s office said the force was justified; details of the office’s analysis were not included in BBC News’ report. Calls from the family’s lawyer to release all video evidence remain unresolved.
