From “The Free Thought Project”
A one year old child is dead and a community is left reeling after an officer involved shooting during an encounter with the notorious Senatobia Police Department.
Senatobia, MS — In what can only be regarded as an absolute tragedy, a one year old boy is dead and an adult critically wounded as a result of an officer involved shooting.
The June 14th incident took place in the parking lot of a Walmart in Tate County, Mississippi, about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. At approximately 2:00 PM officers of the Senatobia Police Department and Tate County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call of a potential shoplifter. Upon their arrival, reports allege the officers witnessed two women, the young boy’s mother and aunt whose names have not yet been released, carrying a package of diapers and one year old Kohen Wiley to their vehicle.
The events that led to the shooting are unclear as video evidence has yet to be released by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, but an official statement released by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety alleges that as officers made an attempt to stop the two women the vehicle veered towards one of the officers, nearly striking them, upon which time the officer drew and discharged their weapon.
Law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on US 51. Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene. The subjects arrived at a local hospital where one juvenile child in the vehicle was pronounced deceased, and another subject had critical injuries. No law enforcement officers received any serious physical injury.
The family has denied any shoplifting took place. Whether or not the vehicle actually attempted to hit the officer is also so far unverified.
One witness statement of an individual who elected not to be identified was released by WREG Channel 3 News, seemingly indicating that the officers fired toward the rear of the vehicle:
I seen the officers take off running, not in the car, I’m talking about on feet, and these are the Sheriffs and the police,” she said. “They’re running through the parking lot and I see the car take off you know, so in my head, I’m like, I know they’re not chasing the car, they don’t think they’re going to catch the car. Then I hear gunshots and I’m like, I know they’re not shooting at a car that’s leaving in a public, this is Walmart.
Video obtained by Fox 13 Memphis shows the immediate moments after the shooting as officers chase after the vehicle on foot.
The officer responsible for the fatal shooting has yet to be identified, although it has been reported they have been placed on leave.
Carolyn Sokes, the great-grandmother of the slain toddler, said “The police department not telling us anything. They removed the baby’s body without anybody seeing it. All we know is that a car was shot up and a 1-year-old baby was killed, and then nobody tells us anything, like we’re not anybody.” She added, “Senatobia Police Department get away with too much stuff, I hear about it all the time, it’s in the news all the time, y’all probably down here all the time, recording this stuff, but it’s just too much.”
“I’m just at a loss for words, to be honest,” … “Somebody needs to be held accountable for it. It’s just not right.” added Carlos Haynes, the boys grandfather.
Local community advocate Marquell Bridges said Tuesday in a statement on Facebook:
“She was skipping and playing with her child, Kohen, to the car moments earlier, not fleeing a theft,” he said. “What started as an ordinary day, playing with your baby and getting into a car, turned into the worst day of a mother’s life and a tragedy this community will carry for years to come.”
The family has reportedly hired National Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump to represent them. On Tuesday, Crump said in a public statement:
A 1-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot. Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she was trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car. They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.
The Senatobia police department is facing intense public backlash as the heartbroken community demands answers. As members of the community rallied outside the Walmart where the shooting took place, video released by Memphis’ Action 5 News show police deploying tear gas on the peaceful protesters Tuesday afternoon.
Over the years, Senatobia PD has become notorious for being embroiled in numerous controversies and scandals involving officer abuse.
Last year, the department came under fire for brutalizing a woman in the parking lot of the same Walmart where little Kohen was killed. For allegedly being illegally parked in a handicapped spot after dropping off her grandmother, officers yanked the woman from her vehicle, slamming her to the ground and tasing her.
In 2023, the department made national headlines when a 10 year old boy was handcuffed and detained for public urination. Shortly after the incident the department released a statement that the officers involved had violated their written protocol and that one of the officers involved was no longer employed by the department while others faced disciplinary action.
Also in 2023, Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler was among several officers involved in an incident in which they illegally entered the home of a Senatobia man without a warrant or permission. Video of the incident shows Chandler physically attacking and strangling the man unprovoked, before officers take him to the ground and tase him. In 2025, city officials voted not to reappoint Chandler as police chief.
The department also came under fire in 2022 after a viral video showed officers using excessive force against a man who had been detained, punching him in the back of the head multiple times.
In 2015, The Free Thought Project reported on a family in Senatobia being issued with arrest warrants for “disturbing the peace” for simply cheering on their child at a high school graduation.
The heartbreaking death of one year old Kohen Wiley is yet another stain on the already sordid history of the now infamous Senatobia Police Department. The Free Thought Project will continue to follow this case and provide updates when new information becomes available.