Mississippi attorney general says fatal police shooting of one-year-old in his mother's lap was justified

Summary

The Mississippi attorney general's office, led by Lynn Fitch, announced on Monday that the police shooting of Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old who was sitting in his mother's lap, was justified. The New York Times reported that the state will not bring criminal charges in the case. The shooting happened on 14 June in Senatobia, a small city near Memphis, where officers were responding to a shoplifting call alleging that Vellesiya Wiley, the baby's mother, and her friend Latoya Ferrell had stolen a pack of diapers. Officers fired into Wiley's vehicle, killing her son. Neither woman has been charged with a crime, and officials have not released any evidence of shoplifting. The statement came four months after the killing.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 20:58 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the office of Mississippi attorney general Lynn Fitch announced on Monday that the police shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley was justified, four months after the baby was killed in Senatobia, Mississippi.

2. The New York Times

   20 Oct 2026, 08:16 UTCSource ↗

   The New York Times reports that Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued a terse statement that Mississippi will not bring criminal charges in the police shooting of the toddler, months after officers responding to a report of stolen diapers surrounded a car with guns drawn.