Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office has ruled that the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was “justified,” concluding its review of the June 14 shooting in Senatobia, Mississippi.
According to the Mississippi Free Press, Fitch’s office announced the decision following an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
“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,” the attorney general’s statement said.
“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 after officers responded to a shoplifting call involving baby items. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety alleged that the driver drove toward officers, nearly striking one, before an officer fired into the vehicle.
However, Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, disputed that account. In a video shared by her attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, she said she lifted her son to show officers that a baby was inside the car before the shooting.
“I raised my baby up, because they had drawn their guns,” Wiley said, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
A preliminary independent autopsy found the bullet entered Kohen’s right side of the chest and exited the left, according to the Mississippi Free Press. Crump argued the findings suggested the officer fired from the side of the vehicle, challenging the claim that the driver was heading toward officers.
The attorney general’s announcement comes after months of calls for transparency. In August, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus demanded answers about the shooting.
In September, Senatobia officials fired Police Chief Harold Vanderford after reports revealed he had used racist slurs in private text messages.
The officer who fired the fatal shot has not been publicly identified, and body-camera footage has not been released publicly, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
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