A 1-year-old was k-il-led after police fired at a vehicle during a Walmart shoplifting response in Mississippi, sparking protests and calls for answers

SENATOBIA, Miss. (WMC/Gray News) — Family members have identified the 1-year-old boy who was killed in an officer-involved shooting at a Walmart in Mississippi.

Family members identified the victim as Kohen Wiley.

The Senatobia police officer who fired the fatal shots has not been identified. City leaders confirmed Tuesday night that the officer has been placed on administrative leave, which is a standard practice after deadly police shootings.

The shooting happened Sunday afternoon at the Walmart store in Senatobia.

Family members identified the victim as 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.(WMC, FAMILY PHOTO, BEN CRUMP, CITY OF SENTOBIA, CNN via CNN Newsource)

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), Senatobia police officers and Tate County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shoplifting call when they saw two adults and the child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. The driver then headed toward the officers, nearly hitting one of them.

One officer then fired shots at the car.

The people in the vehicle later arrived at a nearby hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead and a woman was listed as critically injured.

Marquell Bridges, the president and founder of an advocacy group called the Building Bridges Coalition, said Kohen, his mother and her friend were in the vehicle.

Kohen’s mother was physically unharmed, but her friend was seriously injured, Bridges told the Associated Press.

MBI said no officers were injured.

Family questions use of force

Kohen’s family is questioning the officer’s use of force.

“Policeman shot, opened fire in a public setting, over allegedly some Pampers,” Licole Wiley, the child’s grandmother, said. “Whatever the incident may have come to, it still didn’t need for you to shoot two adults and a baby that was not even a threat to you.”

Lasandra Williams, the child’s other grandmother, said she wants justice for her grandson.

“Everybody that was involved need to be held accountable. I’m not giving up until I get justice. Justice will be served. If it has anything to do with me, it will be served,” Williams said.

Protests erupt at Walmart store

Protests broke out at the Walmart store on Tuesday night. Law enforcement in riot gear used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“You gonna shoot up a car with a baby in it? Come on man, that’s ridiculous. That’s uncalled for. That’s uncalled for. Guaranteed it was because of the color of their skin,” protester Kaysoski Sanders said.

Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump now represents the family.

“Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she was trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car,” Crump said in a statement Tuesday. “They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”

Investigation continues

Commissioner Sean Tindell, head of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, urged the community to be patient while his agency investigates the shooting, interviewing witnesses and reviewing body and dash cam video along with Walmart’s surveillance video.

“Make no mistake… this is a very tragic situation,” Tindell said. “I want the public to be assured that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation will conduct its independent investigation. We have five agents working on this case, gathering statements, gathering evidence.”

The City of Senatobia said in a statement Tuesday:

“We understand that emotions are high and that many questions remain. We respectfully ask our community to avoid speculation and the spread of unverified information while the investigation is underway.”

Commissioner Tindell gave no timeline for the completion of the investigation, but said all the evidence, including video, will be made available to the public once the investigation has concluded.

Walmart released a statement Monday that said:

“We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store. The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We’re working with law enforcement as they continue investigating.”

A 1-year-old was k-il-led after police fired at a ...