Family Demands Justice for 1-Year-Old Shot by Police

The family of a young boy, fatally shot by a police officer after a shoplifting call, is demanding justice. Carolyn Stokes, the grandmother of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, spoke out about the incident, calling the officer’s actions reckless.

Stokes questioned the officer’s decision to fire into a vehicle outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. She told Newsweek, “It was reckless, it was unnecessary to be firing into a car. Why did you draw your weapon on potential shoplifters? Why did you not investigate further inside the store?”

The officer involved is on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. Stokes accused the officer of acting impulsively, suggesting, “It was just reckless, crazy. I might as well say he had killing on his mind…God has the last say; he will bring this all to the forefront in due time.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation stated that officers encountered “two subjects and a juvenile” fleeing from the Walmart. Attempting to stop the vehicle, the officers reportedly faced a situation where the car almost hit one of them, prompting the officer to fire a weapon. The vehicle later reached a local hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead, and another occupant was critically injured.

Kohen’s mother was unharmed in the shooting. Local advocate Marquell Bridges noted that Kohen’s mother wasn’t involved in any theft, indicating, “She was skipping and playing with her child Kohen to the car moments earlier, not fleeing a theft.”

Kohen’s grandfather, Carlos Haynes, shared his grief with the Associated Press, expressing how someone had ended the boy’s potential before it could begin.

Bailey Martin, from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, confirmed the investigation is ongoing without providing further details. Senatobia police have pledged to conduct a thorough investigation, promising to share more information once verified.