Mississippi residents, police at odds after 1-year-old shot dead by officers

Tensions flared in Senatobia, Mississippi, after officers fatally shot a one-year-old boy while responding to a shoplifting call at Walmart. Police reported that the vehicle carrying the child nearly struck an officer before shots were fired, and the child later died at a local hospital.

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We are treating items on a shelf as more valuable than a child. That is not just bad policing; it is a moral collapse.

Authorities have not officially identified the child, but the Associated Press, citing the victim's grandparents and a community advocate, reported the deceased was one-year-old Kohen Wiley. The two adults in the vehicle were reportedly his mother and her friend.

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Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on U.S. 51. Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one.

This incident has reignited long-standing friction between the Senatobia Police Department and Black residents. Civil rights advocates, including Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., have voiced outrage. King stated, “Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on U.S. 51. Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one,” police said.

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We are committed to full transparency. As the investigation progresses and facts are verified, we will share as much information as possible.

The Senatobia Police Department has launched an internal investigation, promising transparency. The officer involved has reportedly been placed on leave, though Global News could not independently verify this. Kohen's mother and her lawyer are demanding a full investigation and the release of all body camera and surveillance footage.

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This Court should grant an injunction pending appeal to prevent an irreversible change in the status quo. President Biden's motion for a preliminary injunction raises serious legal questions, and the disclosure of his private conversations cannot be undone. The resulting damage to his privacy and to weighty law enforcement interests will be permanent.