SENATOBIA, October 26, 2026 — Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch ruled that a Senatobia police officer was justified in firing into a vehicle during a shoplifting stop, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley and critically injuring an adult, the Attorney General’s office announced on Monday. The decision closes the state-level investigation into the June 14 shooting outside a Walmart, even as the boy’s family attorney, Ben Crump, continues to demand the release of body camera footage.
The Shooting and the Initial Response
Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at the Senatobia Walmart on June 14, 2026. According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, two adults allegedly fled from the store with a child, entering a vehicle outside the premises. Family attorneys for the Wiley household have stated the items taken were diapers. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle; one officer opened fire when the driver allegedly drove toward them. Kohen Wiley was pronounced dead at the scene, and an adult passenger was critically injured. The mother, the child, and a family friend were inside the vehicle at the time of the encounter. The Senatobia Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the attorney general’s ruling.
Legal Standards and the Attorney General’s Ruling
Mississippi law requires that investigative findings from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation be transferred to the Attorney General’s office when a death occurs during police action. The MBI handed its findings into the Wiley case to Attorney General Fitch’s office in September, as confirmed by Senatobia Interim Police Chief Angelica Maze. In a formal statement, the Attorney General’s office declared that the use of force by the Senatobia Police Department was justified. The ruling hinges on the legal standard for police use of force, though the specific legal statutes applied in the determination were not detailed in the agency’s public release. The decision means the state has concluded that the officer’s actions met the criteria for justified deadly force under Mississippi code, effectively clearing the officer of criminal liability in the toddler’s death.
Family Reaction and the Demand for Transparency
Ben Crump, the attorney representing the Wiley family, criticized the ruling in a statement reported by ABC News. Crump questioned how the state could accept the conclusion of justification without making the evidence public. “A 1-year-old baby was shot and killed by a police officer, and now the state of Mississippi says that use of force was justified,” Crump 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?” The family’s legal team has argued that the lack of transparency undermines public trust in the investigative process. To date, both surveillance footage and body camera video from the June 14 incident have not been released to the public or to the family’s legal representatives.
Precedent and Policy Context
The Wiley case occurs within a broader context of police-involved shootings involving minors. While the Attorney General’s ruling provides finality at the state level, it follows a pattern in which families of victims challenge official findings in civil courts or through federal oversight mechanisms. The case also reignites discussion regarding the use of deadly force during pursuits involving vehicles, particularly when children are present. Legal analysts note that Mississippi, like other states, permits law enforcement to use force to apprehend suspects, but the specific circumstances—such as the speed of the vehicle, the threat to officers, and the presence of a minor—are subject to intense scrutiny in the aftermath of such incidents. The resignation of the officer involved, as noted by local officials, adds another layer to the department’s internal response to the shooting.
Vehicle Pursuit And Use Of Force
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the confrontation began when officers responded to a shoplifting call at the Senatobia Walmart on June 14, 2026. The bureau stated that two adults allegedly fled from the store with a child, entering a vehicle outside the premises. Attorneys for the Wiley family have stated the items taken were diapers. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, and one officer opened fire when the driver allegedly drove toward them. The bureau confirmed that the child, Kohen Wiley, was killed and an adult passenger was critically injured. The mother, the child, and a family friend were inside the vehicle at the time of the encounter.
Legal standards regarding police use of force were central to the subsequent investigation. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation handed its findings into Wiley’s death to the Mississippi Attorney General’s office in September, as required by state law when a death occurs during police action. Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office ruled that the use of force by the Senatobia Police Department was justified, determining that the officer’s actions met the criteria for justified deadly force under Mississippi code. The ruling effectively clears the officer of criminal liability, though the specific legal statutes applied in the determination were not detailed in the public release. Ben Crump, representing the Wiley family, has continued to demand the release of body camera footage, questioning how justification can be accepted without public evidence.
Family Attorney’s Legal Challenge
Family attorney Ben Crump has formally challenged the Attorney General’s determination, arguing that the ruling lacks evidentiary support without the release of critical footage. According to reporting by ABC News, Crump stated, “A 1-year-old baby was shot and killed by a police officer, and now the state of Mississippi says that use of force was justified. How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?” The legal team contends that the absence of transparency regarding the body camera video and surveillance recordings fundamentally undermines the validity of the justification claim. Crump has indicated the family intends to pursue further legal avenues to compel the disclosure of the evidence, maintaining that the public cannot evaluate the circumstances of the shooting without viewing the footage from the June 14 incident.
In response to the Attorney General’s office conclusion that the officer’s actions were justified under Mississippi code, Crump’s representation has emphasized the disparity between an official ruling and public accountability. The family asserts that the state’s decision to close the investigation without releasing the body camera footage prevents an independent verification of the events that led to Kohen Wiley’s death. While the Attorney General’s ruling effectively clears the officer of criminal liability, the family’s legal challenge focuses on the procedural requirement for transparency, arguing that the public’s interest in understanding a fatal shooting involving a minor outweighs the state’s rationale for withholding the evidence.
Sources
- Mississippi
- State Drops 23-15 Decision To Sooners – Mississippi State
- Attorney General says Mississippi police were justified in shooting that killed 1-year-old
Photo: Ktkvtsh (CC BY 4.0)
