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Mississippi attorney general says Senatobia officer's force was justified in toddler's death

ABC News reports that Mississippi's attorney general considers a June police shooting that killed a toddler justified, while the family's lawyer disputes officers' account.

Updated Oct 19, 2026 · 22:08 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • Mississippi's attorney general says a Senatobia police officer's force was justified in a June shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley during a shoplifting call.[ABC News]
  • Police reports allege diapers and baby clothes were stolen, but the mother denies any theft in a video released days after the shooting.[ABC News]
  • Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, says a preliminary independent autopsy shows the boy was shot from the side, contradicting officers' accounts.[ABC News]
  • The autopsy findings are preliminary, and the reporting does not resolve whether the car moved toward officers.[ABC News]

Key facts

  • Mississippi's attorney general said a Senatobia police officer's use of force was justified during a June shoplifting call.[ABC News]
  • The shooting occurred in mid-June at a Senatobia Walmart after officers responded to a shoplifting call.[ABC News]
  • The shooting killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, and police reports allege diapers and baby clothes were stolen.[ABC News]
  • A Mississippi Bureau of Investigation statement said the car drove toward officers, prompting an officer to fire into it.[ABC News]
  • In a video released days after the shooting, Vellesiya Wiley denied any theft and disputed that the car moved toward officers.[ABC News]
  • Ben Crump, representing the family, said a preliminary independent autopsy indicates the child was shot from the side of the car.[ABC News]
  • Last year, a Senatobia officer threatened a Black woman with a Taser during a parking dispute at the same Walmart lot.[ABC News]
  • The reporting says the shooting is the latest in a string of incidents that has eroded trust between Senatobia police and the city's Black residents.[ABC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The officers' account that the car drove toward them is disputed by the mother and by the family's attorney, and the autopsy findings are preliminary.[ABC News]
  • The theft allegation comes from police reports and is disputed by the mother in a video, so the reporting does not establish whether anything was stolen.[ABC News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.