A Child Was Killed—Now Families Want Answers

A baby killed in a Walmart parking lot, missing video, and a community that no longer trusts the people sworn to protect them.

Story Snapshot

One-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed when a Senatobia officer fired into a vehicle after a shoplifting call.^[2]^[3]
State investigators claim the vehicle drove toward officers, but the family and witnesses dispute that story and want video released.^[2]^[3]
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel say an independent autopsy raises serious questions about the official account.^[1]^[3]^[7]
Body camera and Walmart security footage are being withheld until the investigation ends, fueling anger over transparency and accountability.^[2]^[3]

Deadly Shooting After Low-Level Walmart Call

On June 14, one-year-old Kohen Wiley was riding in a vehicle outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, when police responded to a report of shoplifting, reportedly involving a box of diapers.^[2]^[13] State investigators say officers saw two women and a child get into a vehicle and tried to stop it.^[2]^[3] They claim the driver moved the vehicle toward officers, nearly hitting one, so an officer opened fire as the car drove away.^[2]^[3] Kohen was killed, and another woman in the car was critically hurt.^[2]^[3]

Kohen’s mother says they were leaving and that her friend, who was driving, had already paid for the diapers.^[2]^[3] She has not been charged with shoplifting, even though police say the entire incident began with that call.^[3] This gap matters. When the state leans on a “shoplifting” label to justify deadly force against a car with a baby inside, but never charges the supposed thief, everyday Americans have good reason to question the story they are being given.^[2]^[3]

Two Conflicting Stories And Missing Video

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation’s preliminary report puts blame on the driver, saying the car drove toward officers and nearly hit one, causing an officer to fire.^[2]^[3] Yet the family and community witnesses say that account is wrong and insist the vehicle was not being used as a weapon.^[1]^[2] Kohen’s mother says she raised her baby up to show officers he was in the car, then lowered him, and believes the officer fired three to four shots afterward.^[3] That detail, if confirmed, would sharply undercut claims of an immediate threat.

So far, no body camera, dash camera, or Walmart security footage has been released to the public to confirm either side.^[1]^[2]^[3] State officials admit they are working to gather security video and say body camera footage will only be released after the investigation is finished.^[3] For many readers, that sounds like the same old story: government holds all the evidence, asks us to “trust the process,” and keeps families and taxpayers in the dark while public opinion hardens around the official narrative.^[2]^[3]^[22]

Family Brings In High-Profile Attorneys And Autopsy

The family hired nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Memphis attorney Van Turner to represent them.^[4]^[7] Crump announced that an independent autopsy has already been completed and said new findings raise questions about the state’s account of what happened.^[1]^[7] He stated the family hopes to have those autopsy results before Kohen’s funeral, scheduled to be open to the public.^[1] Crump has also pressed for answers on basic facts, including how many shots were fired, where the officer was standing, and the department’s policy on firing into a moving vehicle.^[3]

According to coverage of the news conferences, Crump and Turner are demanding full transparency from investigators, not quiet backroom deals.^[1]^[7] They want video, autopsy findings, and internal records out in the open so the public can judge whether the officer’s use of deadly force met any reasonable standard.^[1]^[7] That push aligns with what many conservatives believe: government power should be checked, facts should be public, and no official should hide behind a badge or bureaucracy when a child is dead.^[22]

A Pattern Of Police Force Against Children

While this case is still under review, it fits into a disturbing national pattern. A major study found that Black children are six times more likely than white children to be shot to death by police.^[14] Another review counted at least 135 unarmed Black men and women killed by police since 2015, often in low-level encounters.^[16] Research now shows more than 300 juveniles were shot by police between 2015 and 2020, with many cases never drawing national attention.^[20]

A one-year-old should never be a headline. In the Culture Corner this week, we sit with a tragedy out of Mississippi and ask the questions nobody wants to ask.
On June 14, one-year-old Kohen Wiley was killed in an officer-involved shooting outside a Walmart in Senatobia. Police… pic.twitter.com/bJMvrNeN66

— Amania Saluste (@amania_saluste) June 27, 2026

Across the country, an estimated 800 people are killed by law enforcement each year.^[18] Data gathered by independent researchers shows that police shootings are most common in high-gun states and in communities already struggling with crime and mistrust.^[19]^[22] For law-abiding gun owners, parents, and grandparents, stories like Kohen’s raise a hard question: if the state can unload a weapon into a car over a disputed shoplifting claim and then lock away the video, what protects your family when you cross paths with the wrong officer on the wrong day?^[2]^[3]^[22]

Accountability, Transparency, And Trust

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.^[3]^[10] That is standard procedure, but no criminal charges have been filed at this time.^[3] Community members say this fits a broader pattern in Mississippi, where families have needed outside attorneys and even federal review to get straight answers after deadly police incidents.^[5]^[6] Crump himself has raised concerns about relying only on state investigators and has suggested parallel or federal investigations in past Mississippi cases.^[6]

For a conservative audience that values law and order, this case is deeply unsettling. Using deadly force against a vehicle with a visible baby over a disputed box of diapers sounds less like defending public safety and more like reckless government power.^[2]^[3]^[13] The family’s demand is simple and reasonable: release the footage, release the autopsy findings, and let the public see whether officers truly faced a lethal threat or whether a one-year-old paid with his life for someone else’s bad judgment.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[7]