The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus is calling on Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell to provide answers and greater transparency in the investigation into the police shooting death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
According to WJTV, the caucus is demanding that state officials offer Wiley’s family regular updates on the investigation. The group is also calling for the state to designate a liaison who can communicate directly with the family.
Wiley was fatally shot by a police officer June 14 outside a Walmart in Senatobia. According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers encountered two women and Wiley as they left the store in a vehicle.
A previous statement from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said the driver steered toward an officer who was trying to stop the car, prompting an officer to open fire as the vehicle drove away.
Wiley’s family and attorneys have challenged that account.
The Associated Press reported that an independent autopsy commissioned by the family indicated Wiley was shot from the side of the vehicle, rather than from the front. The finding has raised questions about whether the officer was in danger when the shooting occurred.
The caucus’ push for greater transparency follows the release of a Senatobia police internal report, obtained by Mississippi Today, that offered few details about the shooting.
Mississippi Today reported that the two-page document did not identify the officers involved, say how many officers were present or explain why the situation escalated into gunfire.
Wiley’s family and community members have continued to call for the release of body-camera footage, which has not been made public as the state investigation continues.
The Black Caucus said it plans to address concerns about transparency surrounding officer-involved shootings and body-camera footage during the next legislative session.
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