One-year-old Kohen Wiley was fatally shot by police in Senatobia, Mississippi, on June 14, 2025, after officers responded to a shoplifting call at a local Walmart. The incident has reignited tensions between the Black community and law enforcement in the small town of 8,000 residents, leading to protests and demands for greater police accountability.
Details of the Incident
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), officers attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the Walmart parking lot after a reported shoplifting. The driver allegedly drove toward an officer, nearly striking them, prompting an officer to fire their weapon. The vehicle fled the scene, and Kohen Wiley, along with the female driver, were struck by gunfire. Kohen later died from his injuries.
Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, disputes the police account. In a video posted by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, she stated that her friend, the driver, was not driving toward officers but rather away from them. She also denied the shoplifting allegation, claiming that her friend had paid for the diapers she was carrying.
Expert and Community Reactions
Policing expert Ian Adams of the University of South Carolina criticized the officer’s decision to shoot into the vehicle, stating, “Modern policing knows that shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs.” He noted that vehicles often have other occupants, as was tragically the case here.
Civil rights activist Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., condemned the incident on Instagram, saying, “We are treating items on a shelf as more valuable than a child. That is not just bad policing; it is a moral collapse.” She called for changes in training and police accountability policies.
Broader Context of Racial Justice
Kohen’s death has drawn comparisons to the 2023 killing of Ta’Kiya Young, a pregnant Black mother shot by police in Ohio over a shoplifting accusation. Both cases highlight a pattern of Black Americans dying in police encounters over minor alleged offenses, including the murder of George Floyd in 2020 over a counterfeit $20 bill.
Marquell Bridges, president of the Building Bridges Coalition, described Kohen’s death as “the breaking point” after years of problematic interactions between Black residents and Senatobia police. He cited a May 2025 incident where an officer threatened a woman with a Taser and arrested her over a handicapped parking space dispute at the same Walmart. In 2023, a Senatobia officer was fired for arresting a 10-year-old Black boy for urinating in a parking lot, leading to a federal lawsuit settlement.
Civil rights attorney Carlos Moore, who represented the boy, said, “There is a culture there that they are above the law – just because they wear a uniform.” The Senatobia Police Department, mayor, and city aldermen did not respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
Community and Family Impact
Approximately 40% of Senatobia’s 8,300 residents are Black, according to 2020 census data. The city has elected only three Black aldermen since its incorporation in 1860, as reported by the Tate Record newspaper.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending an MBI investigation. The MBI has promised to release video footage once the investigation is complete.
Kohen’s grandmother, Veronica Roberson, described him as a happy baby with “the prettiest smile you could ever imagine.” She recalled his favorite toy, a bubble-blowing lawnmower, and said, “He really thought he was mowing my yard. That baby was my world.”
