Family Demands Answers After Their 1-Year-Old Is Killed by Police
A Mississippi family is demanding answers after 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was fatally shot by police in a Walmart parking lot, saying they want an independent autopsy and the release of video from the shooting.
The family’s attorney said the goal is to get the “full story” of what happened on June 14, when officers responded to a shoplifting call in Senatobia.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers saw two adults leaving the store with a child and entering a vehicle, then tried to stop the car. The bureau says one officer opened fire after the driver allegedly moved toward officers, and the child was killed while an adult was critically injured.
The family, however, says public release of body camera, dash camera, and store security footage is necessary to determine whether officers were actually in danger when the shots were fired. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said an independent autopsy will help answer questions the state investigation cannot settle on its own.
"When a baby is killed in a police shooting, the family should never have to wonder whether they are getting the full story. This is how we make sure they get the full story," Crump said during a press event on Monday, per ABC News. "It is no doubt, it is no question, it is no mystery as to what killed 1-year-old baby Kohen, but we want the independent autopsy so we can verify the facts of the entry wound to the baby's body and the exit wound to the baby's body."
The killing has sparked grief and anger far beyond the family’s immediate circle, with community members joining calls for transparency.
Authorities have not yet released the footage, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case. The family says it will keep pressing until it gets clear answers and accountability.