One-year-old Kohen Wiley was tragically shot and killed on June 14, 2026, when a Senatobia, Mississippi, police officer opened fire into a fleeing vehicle. The incident happened at a Walmart on U.S. 51 during a response to a reported shoplifting incident involving diapers.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers and Tate County deputies responding to the theft call saw the suspects—two adults and the toddler—fleeing the store and entering a vehicle. Officials claim the driver then drove directly toward the officers, nearly hitting one of them, which prompted an officer to discharge his firearm.
The family's representatives strongly dispute the claim that the vehicle posed a threat or attempted to run over the officers. They state that the mother was attempting to communicate that a baby was in the car and have publicly claimed that the diapers were paid for, asserting that the fatal use of force was unprovoked and unjustified.
The aftermath of the shooting has sparked significant local outrage, leading to ongoing demonstrations outside the Senatobia Police Department and Walmart, where police utilized tear gas on protesters.
The officer involved in the fatal shooting has been placed on administrative leave, and the investigation is actively being led by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation before being sent to the state's attorney general.