SENATOBIA, Miss. — A newly released preliminary autopsy requested by the family of a 1-year-old Mississippi boy killed during a police shooting has intensified calls for transparency and renewed questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The child, Kohen Wiley, was killed on June 14 after police officers fired into a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi. The incident began after officers responded to a report involving possible shoplifting of diapers, according to authorities and family attorneys.
The family’s attorneys say the preliminary autopsy findings challenge the initial account provided by investigators. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the examination indicated that Kohen was struck from the side of the vehicle rather than from the front, which the family argues conflicts with the claim that the vehicle was moving toward officers.
Kohen’s mother, who was inside the vehicle with her child, has said the driver was attempting to leave the area rather than move toward police. The family has demanded the release of available evidence, including police body-camera footage, dash-camera footage and surveillance video from the Walmart parking lot.
Authorities have offered a different account of the shooting. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said officers attempted to stop the vehicle and that the driver moved in the direction of officers, nearly striking one of them, before an officer fired a weapon. The agency is continuing its investigation and has not released additional details.
During a news conference, Crump said the family is seeking answers about why gunfire was used in a situation involving allegations of stolen merchandise, especially with a child inside the vehicle. He also emphasized that investigators need to release video evidence so the public can better understand what happened.
The shooting has sparked protests in Senatobia, with community members calling for accountability and the release of records related to the incident. Residents have gathered near the location where the shooting occurred, demanding more information from authorities.
Experts caution that an autopsy alone may not answer every question about a police shooting. Investigators typically examine multiple pieces of evidence, including vehicle damage, witness statements, video recordings and the positions of everyone involved, before reaching conclusions.
The official autopsy report has not yet been completed, and the investigation remains ongoing.
For Kohen Wiley’s family, the central demand remains the same: a full accounting of what happened in the moments before a police encounter ended with the death of a young child.
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