A preliminary autopsy requested by the family of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley suggests the child was shot from the side of a car, not the front, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. This finding challenges the account of law enforcement officers who stated the vehicle was moving toward them when one discharged their weapon.
Kohen and his mother, who was holding him in the passenger seat, are Black. The June 14 shooting has ignited protests and outrage in Senatobia, Mississippi, with residents citing a history of contentious interactions with police. Crump stated the incident began after police were called to a Walmart parking lot regarding a potential shoplifting of diapers.
"We're going to try to continue to demand transparency," Crump said Wednesday at the Senatobia Church of Christ, where he was joined by the baby's grandparents and others holding signs that read "Justice for Baby Kohen."
Crump emphasized that the pathologist performing the preliminary examination did not have access to all pertinent information and that the family is awaiting the release of police body camera, dashcam, and Walmart surveillance footage. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the inquiry, declined to comment. Tate County Coroner Ernie Lentz stated the official autopsy report is not yet complete.
Photos displayed at the church showed damage to the car, including a shattered passenger-side window and a bullet hole piercing the windshield on the passenger side. Authorities confirmed another woman in the car was seriously injured.
Crump argued that the shattered passenger window indicates a bullet entered that side of the vehicle. He further explained that preliminary findings suggest the bullet entered Kohen's torso on his right side and exited on his left, a conclusion he supports by the pattern of cuts on the child's chest and abdomen consistent with fragments from the broken glass.
"That's very important as we try to solve a puzzle," Crump said, adding that the need to piece together events is amplified by the lack of released video evidence.
In their initial statement, state investigators reported that officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver proceeded in their direction, nearly striking one officer, which led to the discharge of a weapon before the vehicle fled the scene.
Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, noted that investigators will need to determine the vehicle's position, the seating arrangement of its occupants, and the officers' locations. He also pointed out the importance of examining damage to the car and the nature of the wounds, as individuals can move within a vehicle. "We need to know a lot more before drawing firm conclusions based on bullet wounds alone," Adams commented.
The incident has drawn comparisons to other cases involving the deaths of Black individuals during encounters with law enforcement over minor offenses. Kohen's mother reportedly believed her friend had paid for the diapers.
Crump, who has represented families in high-profile cases like that of George Floyd, highlighted that the officers' report indicated they observed two women and a child entering the car. He questioned the decision to fire, knowing a child was present. "They want us to believe that it was a life-or-death situation," he stated. "They told us that, but they have not showed us that."