Mississippi Releases Bodycam Footage in Fatal Shooting of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley

POLICY WIRE — Senatobia, Mississippi — State authorities have released body-worn camera footage documenting the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley by a Senatobia police officer. The release follows a monthlong investigation by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office, which concluded that Sgt. Hunter Foster’s use of force was appropriate and cleared him of criminal wrongdoing.

The incident occurred on June 14 in a Walmart parking lot located approximately 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Officers were responding to a reported shoplifting incident when the encounter escalated, resulting in the death of the toddler who would have turned two in early November.

Attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wiley family, contends that the footage proves Foster was not in immediate danger when he discharged his weapon. Crump argues that the video shows the officer firing from the passenger side of the vehicle, contradicting claims that the car was moving directly toward him.

Martin Zummach, legal counsel for Sgt. Foster, maintains that his client acted out of necessity. Zummach stated that the officer had no choice but to fire because the vehicle was moving toward him, describing the subsequent shots as a result of muscle memory during a high-stress, split-second event.

The family of the deceased has expressed deep frustration with the state’s findings. Kohen’s maternal grandmother, Veronica Roberson, described the lack of direct communication from the Attorney General’s office and the prior leaking of footage online as a profound insult to their family.

The released videos show two women entering a vehicle with a child before being approached by five officers with weapons drawn. As the car reversed and then accelerated forward, Sgt. Foster appeared to jump out of the way before firing into the vehicle, shattering the front passenger window.

Expert opinions on the incident remain divided. Charles “Joe” Key, a former Baltimore police lieutenant, characterized the shooting as objectively reasonable given the threat posed by the moving vehicle. Conversely, use-of-force expert John P. Gross criticized the officer’s tactics, asserting that an alleged shoplifting offense did not warrant the use of deadly force against a fleeing suspect.

Vellesiya Wiley, the child’s mother, has denied allegations of shoplifting and has not been charged in connection with the incident. The family’s legal team is now calling for a federal investigation into the shooting.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)