SENATOBIA, MS – A tragedy unfolded in a Senatobia Walmart parking lot when a 1-year-old boy was fatally shot after law enforcement opened fire on a vehicle fleeing an alleged shoplifting incident.
The Incident
Officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Department responded to a reported shoplifting call at the local Walmart. According to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), responding officers spotted the suspects’ vehicle attempting to drive away.
The DPS statement claims that the driver accelerated toward the officers, nearly striking one deputy. In response, an officer discharged their weapon into the vehicle.
Tragic Outcome
The victim, identified by family members as 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, was being held by his mother in the front passenger seat. Another woman inside the vehicle was critically injured during the gunfire.
Following the shooting, the family drove directly to a nearby hospital, where the toddler was pronounced dead. Local news footage later revealed a visible bullet hole in the front windshield and severe damage to the passenger-side window.
Conflicting Witness Accounts
Family members and witnesses have raised questions regarding the escalation of force. One witness reported seeing law enforcement waiting in the parking lot before the women exited the store—one carrying a box of diapers and the other cradling the toddler.
The family has disputed initial speculations that the women were stealing diapers and are demanding accountability.
“We don’t really know anything, why it happened… All we know is that car was shot up and a one-year-old baby was killed,” Carolyn Stokes, the child’s great-grandmother, told local media.
Investigations Underway
The Senatobia Police Department has handed over the primary investigation to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), which is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
Additionally, Tate County Sheriff Luke Shepherd confirmed that his department is launching an independent internal review to determine if any involved deputies will be placed on administrative leave.
