Mississippi AG Says Use of Force Justified in Shooting That Killed 1-Year-Old

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced Oct. 19, 2026, that use of force was justified in a June 14 Senatobia shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The review under Section 45-1-6 followed a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation probe whose findings were forwarded to the AG in September. Officers responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart on U.S. 51 saw Vellesiya Wiley carrying Kohen as she and a friend left the store and got into a car. Police said the car drove toward officers after they tried to stop it; an officer fired into the car, striking Kohen and the friend. The car fled to a hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound to the torso. Police reports allege diapers and baby clothes were stolen; neither woman has been charged. The officer, identified as Sgt. Hunter Foster, was placed on leave June 16; employment status was unclear as of Oct. 19. Vellesiya Wiley said she lifted her son to show officers a baby was inside before hearing three or four gunshots. Family attorney Ben Crump cited an independent autopsy finding the bullet entered from the right side, not the front, disputing that the vehicle drove toward officers. The AG office gave no further details on its findings.