Bodycam Released After Police Shooting Kills 1-Year-Old

Baby Kohen Killed in Police Shooting; Bodycam Released

SENATOBIA, MS | October 21, 2026

Newly released police bodycam and surveillance footage reveals the chaotic moments leading to the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley outside a Mississippi Walmart. The footage has reignited controversy over a police encounter that began with a suspected shoplifting incident and ended with a child’s death.

The shooting occurred on June 14, 2026, when Senatobia police and Tate County sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported theft involving diapers and baby clothing.

Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and another woman, Latoya Ferrell, were leaving the store with the child when officers pursued them into the parking lot.

The newly released footage shows officers rushing toward their vehicle and repeatedly ordering the driver to stop.

As officers approached, the vehicle reversed, collided with another parked vehicle, and then accelerated forward toward officers. At least one officer appeared to be in its path as gunfire erupted.

An officer fired multiple shots into the vehicle, fatally wounding Kohen, who was sitting in his mother’s lap. Ferrell, who was driving, was also seriously injured.

Kohen was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The child’s mother has denied the shoplifting allegations. Neither woman has been charged in connection with the alleged theft.

State Rules Shooting Justified

On October 19, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced that the officer’s use of deadly force was justified following an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

The decision means the officer will not face criminal prosecution by the state for the shooting.

Authorities maintain that the moving vehicle posed a serious threat to officers. An attorney representing the officer has argued that deadly force was necessary to protect law enforcement personnel.

However, Kohen’s family and their attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, have challenged that conclusion, questioning whether firing into an occupied vehicle was justified.

A preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by the family indicated Kohen was shot from the side of the vehicle, raising additional questions about the officer’s position when the fatal shots were fired.

Critical Bodycam Footage Remains Missing

The footage published October 20 by Darkhorse Press contains multiple police body-camera recordings and Walmart surveillance angles.

However, the publicly released compilation does not include the bodycam worn by the officer identified in reporting as the shooter.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has confirmed that additional footage exists and said it intends to release the remaining video after Kohen’s family has an opportunity to review it.

While the existing footage provides new evidence of the danger officers faced from the moving vehicle, questions remain about the exact circumstances of the gunfire.

For Kohen’s family, the attorney general’s decision has not brought closure. They continue demanding transparency and accountability for the death of a child who had no involvement in the alleged crime.

A suspected theft ended with a 1-year-old dead. The state has ruled the shooting justified, but the complete footage has yet to be made public.

The Daily Source | Independent News Reporting