Kohen Wiley: The Senatobia Walmart Shooting and the Video

Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy from Senatobia, Mississippi, died after a Senatobia police officer fired into the car he was riding in outside the town's Walmart on June 14, 2026. Officers had been called to the store over a reported shoplifting of diapers, and Kohen was sitting in his mother's arms in the front passenger seat when the shots were fired.

Four months later, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office ruled the shooting justified, and the state then released the body camera footage the family had demanded since June. This case file brings together what the public record now shows, where the official account and the family's account still diverge, and what may happen next.

Who Was Kohen Wiley?

Kohen Kartier Wiley was born on November 1, 2024, according to his funeral program as reported by the Tri-State Defender. His mother is Vellesiya Wiley. Relatives described a toddler at the center of the family. His grandmother Veronica Roberson provided photos of him to reporters after his death, and his grandmother LaSandra Williams has spoken publicly at each turn in the case.

On Saturday, June 27, hundreds of mourners gathered at Hosanna Family Worship Center in Pope, Mississippi, about 30 miles south of Senatobia, for his funeral. The service was built around Bluey, the children's cartoon dog. Images of Kohen with the character filled the program, his casket was decorated with them, and his mother held a stuffed Bluey toy during the service. Afterward, a white horse-drawn carriage carried him toward his burial with his parents aboard. Memphis attorney Van Turner told the congregation, "We need to celebrate this precious young soul today," adding, "then, on tomorrow, we have to do something about it."

What Happened at the Senatobia Walmart?

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety's first statement said officers responded to a shoplifting call, tried to stop a vehicle, and that the driver "drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one." An officer then fired, and the car left. Police believed the women had taken diapers and baby clothes, Newsweek reported, citing the Associated Press.

Inside the car were Kohen, his mother, and the driver, Latoya Ferrell. Some outlets describe Ferrell as a friend of Vellesiya Wiley, while WLBT described her as Kohen's great-aunt. Ferrell was injured and has since been released from the hospital, WLBT reported. Kohen was taken for treatment and did not survive.

Vellesiya Wiley has denied that she or Ferrell stole anything. She has said that as the car began reversing she lifted Kohen up to show officers there was a child inside, and that three or four shots followed. According to the Mississippi Free Press and WLBT, neither woman has ever been charged with shoplifting. The Free Press noted that because the state's file was not formally closed at the time, charges technically remained possible.

Who Was the Officer?

Mississippi Bureau of Investigation records identified Senatobia Police Sgt. Hunter Foster as the officer under investigation, Fox13 Memphis reported, and he was placed on administrative leave after the shooting. The Mississippi Free Press reported that he was the only officer named in the incident report. Several officers drew their weapons, but only Foster fired, according to Action News 5. Foster has not been charged with any crime.

In July, Mississippi Today reported an internal complaint alleging that Foster made a racially offensive remark to a coworker two days before the shooting. The Free Press also reported that he had been named in lawsuits at two earlier law enforcement jobs; one was dismissed and the other ended in a confidential settlement. These are allegations, not findings, and they do not establish what happened in the parking lot.

Foster's attorney, Martin Zummach, told the Associated Press that the Attorney General's findings cleared his client. He said the driver had tried to kill Foster and other officers, and that "he had no choice but to fire his weapon," Newsweek reported.

What Did the Independent Autopsy Find?

The family did not trust the state's investigators and commissioned its own autopsy. On Wednesday, July 1, attorney Ben Crump announced that Dr. Roger Mitchell, a board-certified forensic pathologist, had ruled Kohen's death a homicide. According to Crump, the shot entered through the car's passenger-side window, which he said contradicted the claim that the car was moving toward the officer who fired. Turner said the MBI had its own autopsy report but would not release it, and that the bureau told the family its investigation could take six to nine months.

Why Was the Shooting Ruled Justified?

On Monday, October 19, Fitch's office announced it had completed its review. Its statement read: "In this incident, the Attorney General's Office found the use of force was justified." The Senatobia Police Department, under Interim Chief Angelica Maze, confirmed that the office was "declining prosecution of this matter and will close the case," Fox13 reported. The department said state investigators found insufficient evidence of criminal conduct to present to a grand jury.

No footage had been made public at that point. Crump asked how anyone could accept that conclusion and said that if the footage supported the state's decision, it should be released.

What Does the Bodycam Footage Show?

On Tuesday, October 20, a news blog called Darkhorse Press published leaked surveillance and bodycam clips from the scene, the Mississippi Free Press reported. The leak did not include Foster's own camera. In it, a Walmart employee tells officers in a security room that "two people are running," and officers rush out to a gray sedan that is pulling away. The car backs into a parked vehicle, then moves forward and turns as Foster fires. Outside the hospital afterward, Foster is heard saying he did not see a baby in her lap.

On Thursday, October 22, after the family viewed it first, the Department of Public Safety released Foster's body camera footage. Action News 5 reported that within about 13 seconds of leaving the store, Foster had his weapon aimed at the car, and that three shots were fired, all from his gun. The station said that, given how quickly the encounter unfolded, it was not easy to see the mother or the child in the footage. The state maintains that the driver drove into the officers and says the video supports that finding.

The Systemic Questions in Senatobia

The shooting came during a period of turmoil for the Senatobia Police Department. On September 1, the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to fire Police Chief Harold Vanderford after The New York Times reported he had repeatedly used racial slurs in text messages, according to Fox13. Protests followed Kohen's death, and the local Walmart closed temporarily several times, SuperTalk Mississippi reported.

The case also raises a question that appears again and again in police shootings: when should the public see the video? Department of Public Safety policy is to release incident reports and bodycam footage only once a critical incident investigation is complete, a spokesperson told Newsweek. Here, that meant the footage became public only after prosecutors had already decided no charges would be filed. Former officer and attorney Francis Springer told WLBT the shooting appears to meet Mississippi's legal standard for justified force. The family disagrees. "We continue to stand on the fact that the shot from the side of the vehicle was not justified," Crump said.

What Happens Next?

Foster has resigned from the Senatobia Police Department, according to the family's attorneys. Crump has said he should be decertified, and Turner said the family will petition the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation, Action News 5 reported. No lawsuit had been announced in the reports reviewed for this article. "I'm having a difficult time understanding the word justified," LaSandra Williams said after seeing the footage.

Timeline of the Kohen Wiley Case

Frequently Asked Questions

How old was Kohen Wiley?

Kohen was 1 year old. He was born on November 1, 2024, according to his funeral program.

Was the officer charged?

No. The Mississippi Attorney General's Office found the use of force justified on October 19, 2026, and declined to prosecute Sgt. Hunter Foster.

Were Kohen's mother or the driver charged with shoplifting?

No. According to the Mississippi Free Press and WLBT, neither woman has been charged, and Vellesiya Wiley denies that anything was stolen.

Has the bodycam video been released?

Yes. The Department of Public Safety released Foster's body camera footage on October 22, 2026, after the family viewed it. Parts of other officers' footage had leaked two days earlier.

Is the officer still with the department?

Family attorneys told Action News 5 and WLBT that Foster has resigned from the Senatobia Police Department.

Watch the Documentary

Sources

• Mississippi Free Press: Leaked video and the missing bodycam in the Kohen Wiley case
• Action News 5: Officer resigns as his body camera video is released
• WLBT: New DPS video in the Kohen Wiley shooting
• Fox13 Memphis: Senatobia police confirm the case will close with no charges
• Newsweek: Attorney demands footage after the AG ruling
• SuperTalk Mississippi: Video footage released in the Senatobia shooting
• WLBT: Independent autopsy findings announced by the family's attorneys
• Tri-State Defender: Report from Kohen Wiley's funeral in Pope