Independent Autopsy Disputes Police Account In Mississippi Baby Shooting
An independent autopsy released July 1 found 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot through the right side of his chest, a finding that disputes police accounts of a June 14 shooting at a Senatobia Walmart parking lot.[1]
Senatobia police shot and killed Kohen while responding to an alleged shoplifting call.[1] The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has said the vehicle moved toward officers and nearly struck one, prompting an officer to fire.[1]
The autopsy says the bullet entered the right chest and exited the left, indicating a lateral trajectory rather than a frontal shot.[1] Kohen's mother says officers fired three to four rounds even after she held the baby up in the passenger seat.[1]
On June 14, Senatobia police responded to the shoplifting report at the Walmart and fired into a vehicle where Kohen was inside. The family disputes the officers' account and says the car was moving away when officers opened fire.
Attorney Ben Crump announced the family commissioned the independent autopsy on June 20.[1] After the autopsy, Crump said the findings change the conversation and the family demanded release of body-camera and surveillance footage; state agencies say the probe remains open and declined detailed comment.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention the broader context of police shootings involving juveniles, which is significant given that between 2015 and 2020, 317 juveniles under age 18 were shot by police in the United States, with approximately one-third of those incidents resulting in fatalities. This statistic underscores the urgency and gravity of the situation surrounding Kohen Wiley's death and highlights systemic issues within law enforcement practices. Furthermore, while the summary indicates that Kohen's mother claims officers fired multiple rounds even after she held the child up, it does not delve into the implications of the independent autopsy's findings, which suggest that the shot was fired from the side of the vehicle, directly contradicting police assertions that the car was moving toward them. This discrepancy raises critical questions about the credibility of the police account and the need for transparency in the ongoing investigation, which has not been fully addressed in the mainstream coverage.
Additionally, the summary overlooks the racial dynamics at play, as national analyses indicate that Black individuals face a probability of death by police shooting that is significantly higher than that of their Hispanic and White counterparts. This context is essential for understanding the systemic issues that may have influenced the incident in Senatobia, Mississippi, and the subsequent public outcry for accountability and justice in cases involving police use of force against marginalized communities.[2][3]
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📊 Relevant Data
Between 2015 and 2020, 317 juveniles under age 18 were shot by police in the United States, with approximately one-third of those shootings fatal.
Study Finds More Than 300 Juveniles Were Shot by Police Between 2015 and 2020, One-Third of Them Fatally — Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
Nationally, Black individuals face a probability of death by police shooting approximately twofold higher than Hispanic individuals and threefold higher than White individuals.
Racial and ethnic disparities in fatal police shootings — PMC
📌 Key Facts
- Police shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley on June 14, 2026, in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi, during a response to an alleged shoplifting incident.
- The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has said the driver moved the vehicle toward officers, nearly striking one, prompting an officer to fire.
- An independent autopsy released Wednesday, July 1, 2026, found the baby was shot through the right side of his chest with the bullet exiting the left, suggesting a lateral trajectory rather than a frontal shot.
- Kohen’s mother says officers fired three to four rounds into the vehicle even after she showed them the baby, and that he was hit while in her arms in the passenger seat.
- The Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the state attorney general’s office say the probe is continuing and declined detailed comment, while the family’s legal team is demanding release of body camera and surveillance footage.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time