Mississippi’s Attorney General ruled that a police officer was justified in firing into a vehicle during a shoplifting response that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, a decision that has reignited demands for transparency and sparked outrage over law enforcement accountability standards.
The Shooting and State’s Conclusion
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced October 19 that her office completed its review of the June 14 incident in Senatobia, a city 40 miles south of Memphis. Officers from Senatobia Police and Tate County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Walmart shoplifting report. When they arrived, they observed two people and a child allegedly fleeing into a vehicle. As the driver allegedly drove toward officers, Sergeant Hunter Foster fired into the moving vehicle. The bullet struck Kohen Wiley, who was not secured in a car seat.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducted the review, and Fitch’s determination means Foster faces no criminal charges. Foster was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, though his current employment status remains unclear. The vehicle’s occupants drove to a local hospital where Wiley was pronounced dead. No officers were injured during the incident.
Family Demands Evidence Release
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wiley family, renewed demands for authorities to release body-camera, dash-camera, and surveillance footage from the shooting. Crump questioned how the state could justify deadly force against a vehicle containing a baby without providing evidence to the family or public. Vellesiya Wiley, the child’s mother, reportedly attempted to notify officers that her son was in the car before the shooting occurred, according to Crump’s statements.
The shooting sparked multiple demonstrations in Senatobia, where community members and civil rights advocates demanded accountability and Foster’s arrest. The incident drew national attention and became part of broader concerns about the Senatobia Police Department’s conduct and leadership.
Department’s Troubled Background
Crump cited an internal complaint alleging Foster made a racially offensive remark to a Black officer days before the fatal shooting. The Senatobia Board of Aldermen unanimously fired former Police Chief Harold Vanderford in September after Mississippi Today and The New York Times revealed he repeatedly used racial slurs about Black people in private messages. This dismissal occurred months after the June shooting but highlighted systemic concerns about the department’s culture and leadership that predated Wiley’s death.
Constitutional Questions About Use of Force
The ruling raises fundamental questions about acceptable use-of-force standards when law enforcement responds to non-violent property crimes. The constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures has long governed police use of deadly force. This case tests whether shooting into a vehicle fleeing a shoplifting scene meets that standard, particularly when a child’s presence was allegedly communicated to officers beforehand. The lack of public evidence leaves citizens unable to independently evaluate whether the threat justified lethal response.