Bodycam Video Released in Fatal Shooting of Mississippi Toddler
WHO:
CNN - Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired following reports alleging he used racist slurs in private text messages.
CNN - Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves said police officer Hunter Foster resigned after the fatal shooting.
CNN - Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, said the driver was “attempting to kill those 5 officers” and Foster “had no choice but to discharge his weapon.”
ABC News - Kohen Wiley was a 1-year-old child fatally shot by police.
The Guardian - Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the shooting “was justified.”
The Guardian - Attorneys Ben Crump and Van Turner represent the Wiley family and called for a federal investigation.
The Guardian - Family members at a press conference included Kohen’s maternal grandmother Veronica Roberson, paternal grandmother Lasandra Williams, and his father.
The Guardian - The footage showed five officers with guns drawn approaching a car occupied by Kohen, his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend, Latoya Ferrell.
The Guardian - Representatives of the Senatobia Committee for Accountability and Building Bridges Coalition, described as local civil rights organizations, joined the family and attorneys.
WHAT:
CNN - Before the shooting, officers and deputies ran toward the Walmart parking lot after someone entered the room where they were and alerted them that “two girls are running.”
CNN - A sheriff’s deputy tried to open the car’s driver-side door before the driver reversed out of the parking spot and struck a car behind her.
CNN - The women drove away from the parking lot after the shooting, according to the Tate County Sheriff’s Office.
CNN - Kohen’s mother said she felt officers were not in danger when her grandson was shot.
CNN - The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office completed its review of the incident after an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
CNN - The shooting drew national outrage and calls for accountability.
CNN - The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove toward officers and almost struck one.
CNN - Body-camera footage shows officers yelling “Stop the car!” as the vehicle moved forward; Foster then fired into it from near the passenger side.
CNN - Foster later told another law-enforcement official he could not see a baby in the car.
CNN - The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office said there was “insufficient evidence of any criminal conduct to present this case to a grand jury,” declined prosecution, and closed the case.
CNN - Kohen’s mother disputed that her friend, who was driving, drove toward officers; she also denied that either woman stole anything. Neither woman was charged with shoplifting or another offense.
CNN - One of the women was critically injured, and Kohen was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
ABC News - The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation released body-camera footage of the fatal police shooting of Kohen Wiley.
The Guardian - Footage of the shooting was made public after Fitch announced the shooting was “justified”; Darkhorse Press, a Mississippi outlet, first reported its release.
The Guardian - Roberson said she learned of the “justified” finding through news sources and that no one had contacted the family beforehand. She said leaked videos were “slaps in the face.”
The Guardian - Crump called the footage “excessive from the very start” and questioned drawing guns over “misdemeanor allegations of baby diapers.”
The Guardian - Williams said she had difficulty understanding how the shooting could be “justified.”
The Guardian - Crump said neither woman had been arrested for shoplifting.
WHERE:
ABC News - The shooting occurred in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi.
The Guardian - The family’s press conference was held at the Senatobia Church of Christ in Senatobia, Mississippi.
WHEN:
CNN - The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on June 14.
The Guardian - The press conference took place on Thursday, shortly after family members viewed the footage.
The Guardian - The article says the following Sunday, 1 November, would have been Kohen’s second birthday.
WHY:
CNN - Police suspected Kohen’s mother and her friend had taken diapers and baby clothes.
The Guardian - Initial reports said officers responded to a shoplifting call; the alleged stolen item was a pack of diapers.
The Guardian - Crump said shoplifting is a misdemeanor and does not qualify for the death sentence.
HOW:
CNN - Surveillance footage showed Kohen’s mother holding him as she and her friend left Walmart and appeared to run to their car; the driver reversed out of a parking space and struck a vehicle parked behind her.
The Guardian - According to Roberson, five officers approached the car with guns drawn.
The Guardian - Crump said investigators would officially release the footage later that afternoon.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 15:21 UTC)
A 1-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley, was fatally shot by a police officer in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi, and state officials have declined to prosecute. Body-camera footage shows five officers approaching the car with guns drawn after a report of suspected shoplifting, reportedly involving diapers and baby clothes. A deputy tried to open the driver’s door; the driver reversed, hit a parked car and moved forward as officers shouted for her to stop. Officer Hunter Foster fired from near the passenger side. One woman was critically injured, and Kohen died at a hospital. Foster’s lawyer said the driver was trying to kill officers, while Kohen’s mother disputes that account and says police were not in danger. The attorney general called the shooting justified, but the family’s lawyers are seeking a federal investigation. Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired after reports of racist texts, and Foster resigned.
--
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 14:22 UTC)
Mississippi authorities have closed the case into the fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, saying there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. The state released body-camera footage showing five officers approaching a car in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, with guns drawn. Officers yelled, “Stop the car,” as it moved forward, and officer Hunter Foster fired from near the passenger side. Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, disputes that her friend, who was driving, drove toward officers. One woman was critically injured, and Kohen died at a hospital. Foster later said he could not see the child; the mayor said he has resigned. Foster’s attorney said the driver was trying to kill officers and Foster had no choice. The family’s lawyers called for a federal investigation, while Attorney General Lynn Fitch ruled the shooting justified. Kohen’s grandmother said the family had not been informed beforehand.
--
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 05:08 UTC)
Mississippi authorities have released body-camera footage of the fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia. The footage shows five officers approaching a car with guns drawn; Kohen was inside with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend, Latoya Ferrell. Authorities had responded to a shoplifting call involving an alleged stolen pack of diapers. Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the shooting was justified, but the family says it learned of that finding through news reports, without being contacted beforehand. At a press conference, Kohen’s grandmothers and father joined attorneys Ben Crump and Van Turner, along with local civil rights groups, to call for a federal investigation. Crump called the officers’ actions excessive and questioned drawing guns over a misdemeanor allegation, adding that neither woman had been arrested for shoplifting. Kohen’s paternal grandmother said she could not understand how the shooting could be deemed justified.