Officer Suspended Following Fatal Shooting of Toddler in Walmart Parking Lot
WHO:
The Guardian - Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old child, was killed.
The Guardian - Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney, is representing Kohen's family.
NBC News - Two adults were in the vehicle with Kohen at the time of the shooting.
The Guardian - Officers from the Senatobia police department and deputies from the Tate County sheriff’s office were involved.
WHAT:
NBC News - The officer involved in the shooting has not been publicly identified.
NBC News - The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is conducting an independent investigation involving five agents in coordination with the state’s attorney general’s office.
NBC News - Kohen's family is demanding the release of body camera footage and Walmart surveillance video.
NBC News - The Senatobia police department stated their commitment to full transparency as the investigation progresses.
The Guardian - A Mississippi police officer was placed on administrative leave after the shooting incident.
NBC News - The police responded to a report of shoplifting at Walmart.
The Guardian - Kohen was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after the shooting.
The Guardian - Another person in the vehicle was listed in critical condition.
The Guardian - Protests erupted in Senatobia following the shooting, with demonstrators gathering outside city hall and Walmart.
The Guardian - Law enforcement deployed teargas to disperse protesters.
WHERE:
NBC News - Protests occurred outside Senatobia city hall and Walmart, with law enforcement officers positioned at the grocery-side entrance of the Walmart.
The Guardian - The incident occurred outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi.
The Guardian - Protests took place outside Senatobia city hall and the Walmart.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The shooting occurred on a Sunday.
The Guardian - Protests took place on Tuesday evening following the shooting.
WHY:
NBC News - Witnesses have disputed the police's claim that the vehicle was driving toward the officer at the time of the shooting.
The Guardian - The police were responding to an alleged shoplifting complaint involving a box of diapers.
HOW:
NBC News - Law enforcement deployed tear gas to disperse protesters gathered outside the Walmart.
The Guardian - An officer fired a gun at a vehicle that was allegedly driving toward them.
The Guardian - The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is conducting an investigation into the shooting.
(UPDATED June 18, 2026 08:34 UTC)
An independent investigation is underway by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, involving five agents and working alongside the state’s attorney general’s office, following a shooting incident that has not yet seen the officer involved publicly identified. Protests erupted outside Senatobia city hall and Walmart, where law enforcement used tear gas to disperse the crowd, as witnesses challenged the police's assertion that the vehicle was driving toward the officer when the shooting occurred. Meanwhile, Kohen's family is calling for the release of body camera footage and Walmart surveillance video, while the Senatobia police department has pledged to maintain full transparency throughout the investigation.
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(UPDATED June 17, 2026 23:29 UTC)
A one-year-old child named Kohen Wiley was tragically killed in a shooting incident outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, where police were responding to an alleged shoplifting complaint involving a box of diapers. Two adults were in the vehicle with Kohen at the time, and one of them is now listed in critical condition, while Kohen was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Following the shooting, protests erupted outside city hall and Walmart, prompting law enforcement to deploy tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, and a Mississippi police officer has been placed on administrative leave as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducts an inquiry into the incident.