The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office said Monday it had finished its review of the June 14, 2026 shooting in Senatobia and concluded that the use of force was justified. The case involves the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was shot in a Walmart parking lot as his mother held him.
That conclusion lands while the public still has not seen the body-camera footage or the overhead parking lot video. A short bystander clip has circulated online, but it does not show the shots being fired or the vehicle driving toward officers, leaving the state’s account and the unanswered video evidence in the same frame.
Officers were responding to a shoplifting call that alleged Vellesiya Wiley and Latoya Ferrell had taken a pack of diapers. When the women exited the store with the child and got into their vehicle, officers drew their weapons. Vellesiya Wiley lifted her son to show them there was a child in the car, and one officer fired into the vehicle. Kohen died and Ferrell was wounded.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation had already investigated the incident under Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code, and the Attorney General’s Office said its review followed that work. The bureau alleged that the driver drove in the direction of officers and nearly struck one of them. The office said in a statement that it found the use of force was justified.
That finding has intensified scrutiny because the footage has not been made public. As of press time, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety had released none of the video surveillance from the shooting, and it had not released the body-camera footage or the overhead Walmart parking lot video. A spokesperson said the footage would be released to media organizations through public records requests in short order, but no timing was given.
Neither Vellesiya Wiley nor Latoya Ferrell has been charged with a crime, and no evidence of shoplifting has been released. The family’s lawyers seized on that gap. Ben Crump said, “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.” He added, “How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?”
Marquell Bridges also condemned the decision, saying, “There is blood on your hands. Not just Hunter Foster, but everyone that is complicit in the cover-up, including Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and everything that happens as a result.” Crump said the public should see the footage if it supports the state’s conclusion. Until that happens, the state’s ruling is final on paper but not in public view, and the unanswered question is whether the video will match the judgment already announced in Kohen Wiley’s death.
