Mississippi family calls for release of footage after toddler dies in Police shooting

Mississippi: A one-year-old has been fatally shot during a police encounter after they received the reports of robbery into the Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. The police opened fire on the vehicle carrying the women who were running from the spot, however, the shot missed and killed the toddler.

The family of the deceased are demanding the release of police body-camera and surveillance footage. The incident unfolded on June 14 when officers were deployed to the Senatobia Walmart to respond to a shoplifting report.

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), the officers encountered two women and the child as they were leaving in the vehicle. The officers tried to stop them, but the driver allegedly drove toward them, nearly striking an officer. In response, the officer fired at the vehicle. This ordeal led to the tragic death of the one-year-old, Kohen Wiley while another occupant in the car was severely injured.

On the other hand, Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, argued that the claims by the authorities and officers were not true. She insists that neither she nor her friend posed any threat to the officers. According to Wiley, her friend purchased diapers from the self-checkout and the CCTV footage would prove that no theft occurred. She explained that when they were backing out of a parking space, the officers approached their vehicle with guns drawn.

She wanted to make the officers aware of the toddler’s presence so she lifted baby Kohen after which she heard several gunshots. One bullet struck Kohen’s rib cage, while her friend was also shot in the arm and thigh, Wiley said. She also argued the officer’s claim that they were driving the car towards the officers with an intent to strike them, saying that their positions made it impossible to pose any threat to the officers.

A civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the family and he has questioned the officers why they resorted to deadly force in a suspected shoplifting case rather than recording the vehicle’s number plate and then questioning later. Attorney Crump called for the immediate release of the officer's body-camera, the vehicle’s dash camera and Walmart surveillance footage during a news conference on June 22.

Referring to the official account, Crump said, “If that is the truth, then show us that.” He also announced that the family would be commissioning an independent autopsy that would assist in determining the trajectory of the bullets and the position of the officer when he fired the bullets. It would help determine whether the officer was at a threat or not.

Protests sparked in Senatobia following the tragic incident and the people are calling for accountability. Reportedly, as tensions escalated during the protests, tear gas was used to control the crowd.

As per media reports, the officer involved in the shooting was identified as Patrol Sergeant Hunter Foster. Currently, he has been placed on an administrative leave following the incident.

He joined the Senatobia Police Department in 2025 and was promoted to patrol sergeant later that year. The MBI has not officially determined the identity of the officer and no criminal charges have yet been announced.

The investigations are still going on as the police review witness statements, forensic evidence, body-camera footage, dash-camera recordings and Walmart surveillance video.

The police have not yet released any video evidence publicly and have not indicated if it will be released or not.