Mississippi rules fatal police shooting of 1-year-old was ‘justified’

On a June afternoon, officers from the Senatobia Police Department responded to a call at a local Walmart after receiving a shoplifting report about a stolen pack of diapers. The two alleged culprits were Vellesiya Wiley and Latoya Ferrell.

As the two women walked out with Wiley’s one-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley, they got into their car to leave.

Officers quickly drew their weapons. Wiley held her baby boy up to the window to make it clear not to shoot, as there was a baby inside the car.

Tragedy strikes in Walmart parking lot in Mississippi

That ultimately did not matter, as moments later gunfire broke out and tragedy struck.

One officer started to shoot directly into the car, hitting and killing the toddler in his mother’s arms, while a bullet also wounded Ferrell.

The police defense was that the car was moving quickly toward them. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation alleged that “the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one,” according to the Mississippi Free Press.

However, neither woman has yet been charged with any crimes, and police have produced no proof of the alleged shoplifting.

Hiding the footage

The story just got worse from there after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch cleared the white officer involved, Hunter Foster. In an official statement, Fitch declared that “the use of force was justified.” Public outrage followed.

Mississippi civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also represents the mother in the case, condemned the state’s move and demanded the release of all hidden video evidence.

“A 1-year-old baby was shot and killed by a police officer, and now the state of Mississippi says that use of force was justified. How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?” Crump said.

Activist Marquell Bridges reacted with raw fury. “There is blood on your hands,” Bridges told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday, warning that officials are complicit in a cover-up.

Racism in the police force

The officers involved in the shooting are employed by a local Mississippi police department that has previous cases against it regarding racism. Just last month, the city fired its police chief after news outlets uncovered text messages packed with racial slurs.

Records also reveal Officer Foster, the same officer who killed the 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, was accused of making a racial slur to a colleague days before the fatal encounter. He had also faced two prior misconduct lawsuits.

Department officials insist camera footage will reach media outlets soon. Until then, a heartbroken mother is left wondering why the state does not hold anyone accountable for killing a toddler over alleged theft of diapers.

Beloved children’s educator puts pressure on Mississippi

This story and tragedy have now reached the rest of the country and have sparked outrage online.

One of those who have come out in support of Vellesiya Wiley is children’s educator Rachel Accurso, known online as Ms. Rachel, a popular kids’ YouTuber and activist.

In an Instagram post, she mourns the loss of Kohen Wiley while lamenting the decision to vindicate the police officer. “No, you can’t justify murdering a baby in a Walmart parking lot. Kohen Wiley,” reads the picture.

This article is made and published by Daniel Wolfram, who may have used AI in the preparation