Mother Recounts Tragic Moments Before Infant’s Fatal Shooting
A distraught mother has come forward with her account of the terrifying moments leading to her one-year-old son Kohen’s death, claiming she frantically tried to signal to officers that her baby was in the car before they opened fire outside a Mississippi Walmart. The tragic incident has ignited widespread protests, with demonstrators reportedly met with tear gas during clashes with law enforcement.
Vellesiya Wiley recounted the events of Sunday, stating she, Kohen, and a friend were at a Walmart in Senatobia when officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Department attempted to stop her friend, who was accused of shoplifting diapers. Wiley stated she proceeded back to her vehicle with Kohen, believing the situation did not involve her.
“By the time me and my baby got in the car, she came,” Wiley said of her friend, whose identity has not been publicly released. As her friend began to back the vehicle up, Wiley claims officers approached and began drawing their weapons. “I raised my baby up, trying to show that he was in the car,” she stated.
Fatal Encounter and Aftermath
Despite Wiley’s alleged attempts to alert officers to the infant’s presence, shots were fired, striking both Kohen and Wiley’s friend. Wiley described the rapid succession of shots, saying, “By the time I set my baby down, it was like three to four shots.” She detailed that one bullet hit her son in the ribcage, while her friend sustained injuries to her arm and thigh.
Kohen was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and his body was subsequently sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office. His friend was airlifted to another medical facility and is reportedly in critical condition, according to family members.
Wiley insists neither she nor her friend have been charged with any offenses. She asserted that security footage from the self-checkout area would confirm her friend had paid for the diapers. Furthermore, she disputed claims from law enforcement that her friend was driving toward the officers when the shooting occurred, stating, “They was all on the right side, and she was driving towards the left.”
Investigation and Public Outcry
The officer involved in Kohen’s death has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Attorney Ben Crump, representing Kohen’s family, has publicly called for accountability, demanding the release of all body camera and surveillance footage for a transparent investigation into the tragedy.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell stated that footage would not be released until the MBI concludes its investigation. He confirmed that five agents are working with the Attorney General’s office to thoroughly review all evidence, including witness testimonies and video recordings.
“It’s important that we keep civility during this process, so we can get to the bottom of it and analyze all the evidence and ultimately make it available to you,” Tindell commented during a news conference on Tuesday evening, vowing transparency.
Protests Erupt Amid Community Concerns
The fatal shooting has already triggered significant protests outside the Walmart. On Tuesday, law enforcement officers reportedly used tear gas to disperse crowds. Residents at the demonstration expressed a belief that local law enforcement has a pattern of escalating interactions with the community.
Concerns have been amplified by past incidents. Three years prior, a ten-year-old boy was arrested for urinating near his mother’s car. He was ultimately sentenced to probation and required to write a report before the case was dismissed. Last year, Breshari Faulkner was reportedly taken to the ground after being accused of illegally parking in a handicap spot, despite informing officers the tag was for her grandmother inside a nearby store.
“We lost a child because of carelessness, recklessness of the police,” Faulkner stated at the protest, adding, “This was going to eventually end up with them killing someone because they overreact on small things they shouldn’t escalate.”
Lifelong resident Mark Lesure voiced his anger and frustration, stating, “We’ve had a lot of situations of police brutality that led up to this right here,” suggesting that such brutality has gone “unchecked.” He lamented, “If it had been checked in the past, maybe we wouldn’t be talking about this baby being killed.”
A makeshift memorial has been established outside the Walmart in honor of Kohen Wiley.
