Mississippi toddler, one, shot dead by police responding to alleged Walmart shoplifting
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: NBC News
A toddler was killed in the company of his mother and aunt after police opened fire on their car.
The trio had been travelling 'in the direction of' an officer who was responding to an alleged shoplifting incident at the Senatobia, Mississippi branch of Walmart on Sunday (14 Jun).
According to a police statement, Kohen Kartier Wiley, one, had been sitting inside vehicle with the two women.
Witnesses alleged the two women had previously departed from the store, one carrying a box of diapers, and another holding the infant, while police officers waited in the parking lot.
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"I saw the officers take off running, not in the car, I’m talking about on foot," one onlooker said. "And these are the Sheriffs and the police.
"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."
The witness added: "Then I hear gunshots, and I’m like, I know they’re not shooting at a car that’s leaving in a public place; this is Walmart."
The statement subsequently shared by police also appeared to indicate that the cop who fatally shot the family had been aware that a young child had been inside the car when he opened fire.
"Upon arrival, officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle," the department said. "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 group were transported to the hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead.
One subject was reported to have sustained critical injuries, while law enforcement officers involved in the incident escaped without any physical injury.
Kohen's mother was also physically unharmed.
The child's great-grandmother has since issued a statement on the shooting, accusing the Senatobia Police Department of '[getting] away with too much stuff'.
"I hear about it all the time; it’s in the news all the time […] it’s just too much," Carolyn Stokes told WREG.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump also spoke out, telling the press on Tuesday (16 Jun): "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."
He added: "We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him."