“I Raised My Baby Up So They Could See Him”: Heartbreaking Story of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley Shot and Killed by Police During Walmart Shoplifting Call — Independent Autopsy Rules Homicide as Family and Community Demand Unreleased Video and Full Accountability

SENATOBIA, Mississippi — He was only one year old. A smiling, joyful toddler named Kohen Kartier Wiley who had just learned to pull himself up on furniture, reach for his mother’s arms, and fill every room with laughter. On June 14, 2026, Kohen should have been safe in his mother’s embrace. Instead, he became the heartbreaking center of a police shooting that has left an entire community shattered and demanding answers that authorities have yet to fully provide.

What began as a reported shoplifting incident involving diapers at the Senatobia Walmart on U.S. 51 ended with a police officer firing multiple shots into a vehicle — killing the innocent baby inside.

According to his devastated mother, Vellesiya Wiley, she, her young son, and a female friend had just left the store. Vellesiya says her friend had actually paid for items at self-checkout, but officers responded anyway. As the women got into the car, police drew their weapons. Vellesiya, sitting in the passenger seat with Kohen on her lap, immediately lifted her baby high so the officers could clearly see the child through the untinted windows.

“I raised my baby up because they had drawn their guns,” she recounted in an emotional video released by her attorneys. “I was trying to show them he was in the car… By the time I set my baby down, it was like three to four shots. One of the shots hit him in the rib cage.”

The car was struck on the passenger side. Photos of the vehicle show bullet holes through the passenger windshield and a shattered passenger window. Kohen was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His mother watched her only child take both his first breath and his last.

An independent forensic autopsy commissioned by the family and released this week delivered a devastating conclusion: Kohen’s death was ruled a homicide. The bullet entered the right side of his chest and exited the left side, consistent with being shot from the passenger side of the vehicle — directly contradicting initial police claims that the driver was speeding toward officers.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wiley family alongside local attorney Van Turner, held a press conference to announce the findings. “There is no mystery on how Kohen died,” Crump stated. “The doctor determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the torso and ruled the manner of death as homicide.”

Family members have been vocal in their grief. Grandmother Veronica Roberson tearfully said, “That baby meant everything to me. He’s all I had. My only and my first grandchild… What these people took from us can never be replaced.” Grandfather Carlos Haynes added, “What hurts me most is when my three-year-old granddaughter asks where he is… I just want justice for my dude.”

The family held a public funeral on June 27 at Hosanna Family Worship Center, where nearly 300 mourners gathered to say goodbye. Blue balloons filled the sky. A memorial of flowers, teddy bears, and signs reading “Kohen Should Be Here” and “Forever 1” still stands outside the Walmart, even as shoppers continue going in and out of the store as if nothing happened.

The community’s anger has been loud and sustained. Protests, prayer vigils, and marches have filled the streets of Senatobia. Activists and residents have packed city board meetings, chanting “Baby Kohen’s life mattered!” and accusing local leaders of hiding. At the independent autopsy press conference, one attorney pointedly said of city officials who did not attend: “They hiding.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is leading the probe. The officer involved — reportedly identified by the family as Sgt. Hunter Foster — has been placed on administrative leave. Senatobia police initially claimed the driver “drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one.” The family strongly disputes this, pointing out that shots came from the side, not the front, and that the driver was backing away and even lightly bumped another car.

The Wiley family, through Ben Crump, is demanding the immediate release of all bodycam footage, dashcam video, and Walmart surveillance video — none of which has been made public yet. “We are fighting for transparency so we can get to the truth and so we can have some accountability,” Crump said.

Kohen’s mother, still suffering panic attacks, has pleaded with the public: “I ask that you keep my family in your prayers.”

This tragedy has reignited painful national conversations about police use of deadly force, de-escalation protocols, and the protection of children during even minor calls. A one-year-old baby — described by everyone who knew him as having the sweetest smile and the biggest personality — lost his life over an allegation involving diapers.

As the investigation continues and the community refuses to stay silent, the message from Kohen’s loved ones remains clear and heartbreaking: “Your baby is our baby.” They want justice, they want the full video released, and above all, they want the world to remember that Kohen Wiley was here — full of joy, wonder, and promise — and he should still be here today.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Memorials continue to grow, and the fight for answers shows no sign of slowing.

Kohen Kartier Wiley. Say his name. Never forget it.