MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) The state has finished its review of the Kohen Wiley shooting in Senatobia. On Monday, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office said the officer’s use of force was justified.
The short statement did not name the child or the officer. However, it covered a June 14 shooting in Senatobia that involved one Senatobia police officer. News outlets, including Mississippi Today, report that the date and place match the death of Kohen Wiley. He was 1 year old.
What the state said
“In this incident, the Attorney General’s Office found the use of force was justified,” the statement said.
The statement also said the review followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, or MBI. Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code requires that step. MBI sent its findings to Attorney General Lynn Fitch in September, Mississippi Today reported.
The statement did not give any other details. It also did not say what evidence the office reviewed.
What happened in June
On June 14, Senatobia police and Tate County deputies went to the Walmart on U.S. 51. They were answering a shoplifting call, according to MBI.
MBI said officers saw two adults and a child leave the store and get into a car. Officers tried to stop the car. Then, MBI said, the driver drove toward the officers and almost hit one. After that, an officer fired his gun.
The car drove away. The women went to a local hospital, where Kohen died. The driver was badly hurt. No officers were seriously hurt.
Reports say the call was about diapers. So far, neither woman has been charged with shoplifting, the Oxford Eagle reported. Also, the officer was put on leave two days after the shooting, WLBT reported.
Family disputes the police account
Kohen’s family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump. In July, Crump shared the results of a second autopsy the family asked for.
Crump said the bullet came through the passenger side window. Because of that, he said, the officer was beside the car and not in front of it. Kohen’s mother has said her friend was driving away from the officers, The Associated Press reported.
“We’re going to try to continue to demand transparency,” Crump said at the time.
On Monday, Kohen’s grandmother, Veronica Roberson, told Mississippi Today she learned of the ruling on Facebook. She said no officials had reached out to the family. Earlier this month, Kohen’s mother said MBI agents never talked with her.
What happens next
The state has not released video from the shooting. It is not clear if or when that will happen, Mississippi Today reported.
In past cases, the office did not seek criminal charges after it found force was justified. The statement did not say whether the officer is back at work.
How these cases work in Mississippi
This process is the same across the state, including in Lauderdale and Neshoba counties. Since 2021, state law has said MBI investigates most police shootings that hurt or kill someone.
When MBI finishes, it sends its findings to the Attorney General’s Office. Then that office decides if the officer’s actions were justified. It can also take the case to a grand jury. A grand jury is a group of local people who decide if there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime.
