The state of Mississippi will release video footage of the officer-involved shooting that claimed the life of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety press secretary Alex Gibert confirmed to SuperTalk Mississippi News that the state will first show the footage to Wiley’s family, then distribute it to media outlets that submitted public records requests. This outlet was among those that requested the footage.
The video of the June 14 incident is being made available after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch ruled Monday that the use of force in the shooting was justified. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Wiley’s family, has consistently called for the state to release the footage to the public.
“If the footage supports the state’s decision, release it,” Crump stated. “We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth.”
Wiley was killed in the parking lot of the Walmart in Senatobia. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation reported that officers responded to a shoplifting call at the retailer. Upon arrival, responding Senatobia police officers said they encountered two women and a child quickly leaving the store and hopping into a vehicle.
After the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation concluded its investigation and turned its findings over to the attorney general’s office, as is standard practice in officer-involved shootings, Fitch’s team found that the officer operated within the scope of the law. The state will not bring any charges against the officers involved.
“The Office of the Attorney General announced it has completed the review of a June 14, 2026 incident in Senatobia involving one officer with the Senatobia Police Department,” the Monday statement from Fitch’s office said. “In this incident, the Attorney General’s Office found the use of force was justified.”
The Mississippi Democratic Party has since condemned Fitch’s labeling of the shooting as justified and has called for more transparency in the case. The party called for the immediate release of all relevant evidence connected to Wiley’s death, along with the assurance of an independent review.
