Mississippi AG says officer’s force was justified during shoplifting call in which boy was killed

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi's attorney general notes a Senatobia officer was justified in using force when he responded to a shoplifting call and fired at a moving vehicle that investigators stated was driving toward police, killing a 1-year-old boy who was inside the car.

What happened

In practice, the conclusion of the state's investigation into the shooting death of Kohen Wiley follows months of mourning and calls for justice, both nationally and in the small town where the shooting took place, regarding 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee.

For context, the shooting occurred in mid-June as Senatobia officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart, where they saw Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen's mother, carrying her son as she and a friend left the store, obtained into a car and began driving away. Wiley and her friend are both Black. Police believed they stole diapers and baby clothes. Kohen's mother has denied she or her friend stole anything, and neither of them have been charged with shoplifting or any other counts, according to online state and county court records.

The bottom line

For now, mississippi AG says officers force was justified during shoplifting call in which remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.