Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office said on Monday, October 19, 2026, that the fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in Senatobia was justified, meaning the officer involved will not face criminal charges, the Mississippi Free Press reported.
The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement: “Today, the Office of the Attorney General announced it has completed the review of a June 14, 2026 incident in Senatobia involving one officer with the Senatobia Police Department. In this incident, the Attorney General’s Office found the use of force was justified. Pursuant to Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code, the review followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.”
The shooting happened on June 14, 2026, when officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Senatobia Walmart alleging that the boy’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and Latoya Ferrell had stolen a pack of diapers. The women left the store with the child as officers arrived, got into their vehicle and began to leave the parking lot.
Officers drew their weapons, and Vellesiya Wiley lifted her son up to show them a child was in the car. One officer then fired into the vehicle, killing the baby as she held him. A bullet also struck Ferrell.
The child was not in a car seat. His mother has said she held him up from her lap, and by the time she sat him down, three to four shots had been fired. One bullet hit the baby in the ribs. Another hit her friend in the arm and a third in the thigh. The women drove to a local hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead. Ferrell suffered critical injuries.
Neither woman has been charged with a crime, and officials have not released evidence of shoplifting. No officers were injured. On the day of the shooting, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation alleged that “the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one.” The officer identified as the subject of the investigation is Hunter Foster.
The case sparked multiple local protests in Senatobia, including a multiracial march on June 26, 2026. The officer was placed on leave on June 16. Complete body-, security- and dash-camera footage was held until the investigation was complete. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety confirmed to the Mississippi Free Press that video footage will be released to media organizations in short order via public records requests.
Reacting to the decision on Monday, Marquell Bridges, president of the Building Bridges Coalition, told the Mississippi Free Press: “There is blood on your hands. Not just Hunter Foster, but everyone that is complicit in the cover-up, including Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and everything that happens as a result.”
The Clarion Ledger also reported on the finding the same day.
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