Mississippi police shooting kills 1‑year‑old Kohen Wiley and sparks protests

On June 14 2026, officers from the Senatobia Police Department responded to a shop‑lifting call at a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi. An officer fired into a vehicle carrying 1‑year‑old Kohen Wiley, his mother Vellesiya Wiley, and a family friend. Kohen was killed; the friend was injured. Vellesiya Wiley says she raised her baby to show officers that a child was in the car and disputes police statements that the driver was moving toward the officers.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducts an independent review. No name has been released. Civil‑rights lawyer Ben Crump is representing the family, and community leaders, including Bernice King, have condemned the shooting as a “moral collapse.”

Protests erupted in Senatobia, with demonstrators demanding release of body‑camera and Walmart footage. Law enforcement deployed tear gas during a second demonstration at the Walmart site. The incident has drawn national attention and calls for police‑accountability reforms.