Final moments of toddler, 1, captured on CCTV before tragic fatal police shooting

On June 14, 2026, Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old boy, was fatally shot by a police officer in the parking lot of a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. The incident occurred after officers responded to a report of shoplifting and encountered a vehicle driven by the child’s aunt, who allegedly attempted to flee. Body camera and surveillance footage released recently depict the chaotic sequence of events, showing officers rushing from the store’s security office to intercept the car. Despite repeated commands to stop, the driver accelerated toward the officers, prompting one to open fire. The toddler sustained a gunshot wound to the ribcage and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced this week that no criminal charges would be filed against the officer involved. In a statement, Fitch’s office concluded that the review of the incident found the use of force to be justified. The announcement followed an investigation conducted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which presented its findings to the attorney general’s office. The release of the footage coincided with this determination, though the specific reasoning behind the justification was not detailed in the official statement. The video, initially shared by media outlet Darkhorse Press, begins inside the Walmart security office. A man runs into the room warning staff that an active theft is in progress, shouting, “Two women are running, two women are running.” Several officers immediately sprint out of the building toward the parking lot. They catch up to a silver-colored sedan occupied by Vellesiya Wiley and her sister, Latoya Ferrell. According to the footage, the officers surround the vehicle and order the occupants to stop. Within seconds, Ferrell, who was driving, accelerates the car toward the group of officers. Gunshots ring out as the vehicle moves forward. Officials confirmed that the infant in the back seat was struck by a bullet. Vellesiya Wiley, the child’s mother, stated that she raised Kohen in the air during the confrontation to demonstrate to the officers that a baby was present in the vehicle. She described the moment as traumatic, noting that by the time she lowered the child, multiple shots had already been fired. One bullet hit Kohen in the ribcage, while another struck Ferrell in the arm and thigh. Ferrell was airlifted to a separate hospital and remained in critical condition, according to family members. Kohen was transported to Senatobia Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, stated that both women deny the allegations that they committed shoplifting. Neither woman has been charged with a crime related to the incident. Crump highlighted that an independent autopsy indicated the fatal shot entered through the passenger-side window. This finding contradicts the account provided by the officers, who maintained that the vehicle was moving directly toward them when they fired. Crump argued that the physical evidence does not align with the narrative supporting the use of lethal force. The case has drawn attention to broader issues within the Senatobia Police Department. Crump noted that the officer who fired the fatal shot, identified as Sergeant Hunter Foster, had faced a complaint for making a racially offensive remark just two days prior to the shooting. Additionally, the department’s chief, Harold Vanderford, was dismissed last month after reports emerged that he had used racial slurs in text messages dating back to the previous summer. Crump questioned how the public could accept the attorney general’s conclusion without having viewed the body camera footage themselves, despite the recent release. Martin Zummach, the attorney representing Sergeant Foster, defended the officer’s actions. Speaking to the Associated Press, Zummach stated that the driver had attempted to kill the officer and other personnel present at the scene. He asserted that the officer had no alternative but to discharge his weapon. Zummach emphasized that the attorney general’s findings cleared his client of any criminal wrongdoing. The shooting sparked immediate outrage in Senatobia, contributing to a series of incidents involving police interactions with Black residents that have strained relations in the community. Protests and demands for accountability followed the initial incident in June. The recent release of the footage offers a visual record of the split-second decisions made by the officers, capturing the transition from a retail dispute to a deadly confrontation. The legal team for the family continues to push for transparency, arguing that the full context of the encounter requires public scrutiny beyond the official legal determination. The timeline of the event spans from the initial alarm in the security office to the medical aftermath. Officers acted swiftly upon receiving the report of the fleeing suspects. The interaction lasted mere seconds before gunfire erupted. The presence of the infant in the vehicle was known to the mother, who actively displayed the child, yet the outcome proved fatal. The legal proceedings have concluded with the decision not to prosecute, leaving the family with the option to pursue civil remedies or continue advocating for policy changes within the department. The focus now shifts to the implications of the forensic evidence regarding the direction of the shot versus the perceived threat level assessed by the officer at the time.