A one-year-old boy named Kohen Wiley was killed in Senatobia, Mississippi, after a police officer shot at a vehicle on June 14, 2026. Officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart around 2 p.m. local time when the shooting occurred [1, 2, 3].
The vehicle contained Kohen, his mother, and a friend of the mother. The mother was unharmed, but the friend suffered serious or critical injuries [1, 2, 3]. Police said the driver of the vehicle drove toward officers, nearly striking one, prompting the officer to fire [1, 2, 3]. However, some witnesses dispute that the vehicle was driven toward officers [3].
The vehicle left the Walmart parking lot after the shooting and later arrived at a hospital where Kohen was pronounced dead [1, 2, 3]. The Senatobia Police Department and Tate County Sheriff's deputies were both involved in the incident. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the ongoing probe and has not named the officers involved [1, 2, 3]. The officer who fired has been placed on administrative leave [3].
Kohen’s grandfather, Carlos Haynes, said, "Someone ended it all before it could even start" [1]. Kohen’s family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said, "A one-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot... We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him" [3].
The Senatobia Police Department said it is committed to transparency and will share verified information as the investigation progresses [1, 2]. Walmart expressed sadness over the incident and said it is cooperating with law enforcement [1, 3].
Local protests erupted in Senatobia following the shooting, with demonstrations outside city hall and Walmart. Police deployed tear gas to disperse protesters [3]. By June 17, the involved officer was on administrative leave, and the family had retained attorney Crump [3].
Senatobia, a town of about 8,000 residents, is approximately 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee [1, 2]. Residents planned to attend a city hall meeting on June 16 to demand answers, and the hashtag #JusticeForKohen spread on social media that day [2].
