A new autopsy of a 1-year-old child killed when police fired into a car in Senatobia, Mississippi, suggests the shooting did not align with officers' initial claims that the vehicle was moving toward them, according to the family's attorneys. The family commissioned a second autopsy for Kohen Wiley after he died on June 14.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump stated that the second autopsy indicated Wiley was shot from the side of the car, not the front. Wiley's mother, who was in the passenger seat, has said her friend was driving away from officers at the time of the shooting. Police, in their initial statement, claimed the driver "drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one." Authorities stated an officer then discharged their weapon, and the vehicle fled.
The shooting occurred after police were called to a Walmart parking lot, reportedly over suspected shoplifted diapers. Crump questioned the officers' actions, noting that they allegedly fired into a moving vehicle knowing a baby was inside. He asserted that officers described the situation as life-or-death but have not provided evidence to support that claim.
The family is seeking the release of police body camera, dashcam, and Walmart surveillance footage. A spokesperson for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the inquiry, declined to comment, stating the investigation is ongoing.
The incident has sparked outrage and protests in Senatobia, with some residents citing a pattern of troubling police interactions in recent years. The case has drawn comparisons to other instances involving Black individuals who died in incidents related to accusations of minor offenses, such as the murder of George Floyd.