Senatobia police shooting kills 1-year-old Kohen Wiley

On June 14, 2026, Senatobia Police Department officers opened fire on a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot on U.S. Highway 51 after responding to an alleged shoplifting call. Sergeant Hunter Foster was identified as the officer who discharged his weapon, striking 1‑year‑old Kohen Wiley in the ribcage. The toddler was pronounced dead at a local hospital, while an adult passenger was left critically injured.

The incident has intensified long‑standing tensions between Black residents and law enforcement in the 8,000‑person town. Community advocates, civil‑rights attorney Ben Crump, and figures such as Bernice King have called for a full release of body‑camera and surveillance footage and an independent investigation. The officer was placed on administrative leave, and protests involving more than 200 people attracted tear‑gas deployment outside City Hall. Earlier complaints against Foster for alleged racial slurs and prior police misconduct in Senatobia were noted, though not publicly documented.

Residents and activists argue the shooting was unjustified, with the child's mother stating, “I raised my baby up, trying to show them that he was in the car,” before the officer fired multiple rounds. The case is prompting renewed scrutiny of police use‑of‑force policies in Mississippi.