Police shooting of a 1-year-old Mississippi boy ignites tension between police and Black residents
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the shooting, and police have placed the officer on leave as protests and accountability calls grow.
- On June 14, 2026, Senatobia Police Department Sergeant Hunter Foster fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley in a Mississippi Walmart parking lot during a response to an alleged shoplifting call.
- Tensions between police and Black residents have simmered for years in Senatobia, with activists citing a 2023 arrest of a 10-year-old boy as evidence of systemic misconduct.
- Vellesiya Wiley disputed the official account, stating she tried to show officers her son before they fired; policing expert Ian Adams noted shooting into moving vehicles is 'a very bad idea' by modern standards.
- More than 200 protesters gathered at Senatobia City Hall where police deployed tear gas, while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation placed Foster on administrative leave pending a nine-month investigation.
- Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the Wiley family as the case draws comparisons to other police-involved deaths, with advocates emphasizing that 'the sacredness of human life' must guide police encounters.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Attorney Ben Crump announces independent autopsy, demands transparency in death of Kohen Wiley
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Ben Crump, a nationally recognized civil rights and personal injury attorney, is demanding transparency from authorities and will announce an independent autopsy in the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. Crump said in a statement that he and attorney Van Turner will join the family of Kohen Wiley for a press conference and rally on Monday morning. A prayer service was held Friday night to remember Kohen Wiley after the 1-yea…
Senatobia community continues to seek answers one week after 1-year-old's death
SENATOBIA, Miss. — The Walmart in Senatobia has reopened after being closed Saturday amid protests tied to the deadly officer-involved shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley. The store reopened Sunday, one week after the shooting that has sparked ongoing demonstrations and renewed calls for transparency in the investigation. It was Sunday, June 14 when Senatobia police [...]
The police had moved out of the 8000-inhabitant town because of a suspected shoplifting of diapers. Then there were the fatal shots. Many questions are open to the events. The case exacerbates the tensions between black residents and the police.
Protestors call for arrest of Mississippi officer after 1-year-old fatally shot outside Walmart
A Mississippi police officer has been placed on administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting at a Walmart in the town of Senatobia left a 1-year-old child dead.
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