One-year-old killed and woman injured after Mississippi police shoot at car | US policing
A one-year-old child was killed and another person was injured in northern Mississippi when a police officer fired into a vehicle while responding to a burglary call, according to authorities and the child’s grandfather.
Local community advocate Marquell Bridges said the slain boy, Kohen Wiley, was in the car with his mother and friend in the middle of the shooting on Sunday.
Bridges, founder and president of the advocacy group Building Bridges Coalition, said Kohen’s mother was not physically harmed, but her friend was seriously injured.
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the three men got into the vehicle after leaving a Walmart in Senatebia. As police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver drove toward them and nearly hit an officer, according to the office investigating the shooting.
An officer then fired at the vehicle and it drove away, the bureau said.
The two women were taken to the hospital where Kohen died.
Carlos Haynes described his grandson as a happy baby and said he was looking forward to watching him grow.
“Someone finished the whole thing before it even started,” Haynes said.
The Kohen family hired national civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them on Tuesday. Referring to Kohen’s killing, Crump said in his statement: “A one-year-old child died when police officers opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot in Mississippi.
“Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who was not charged with any crime, said she tried to tell the police that there was a baby in the car. Still, they opened fire, causing the death of an innocent 1-year-old child. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”
The Senatebia police department, which responded to the call, did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.
“As the investigation progresses and the facts are verified, we will share as much information as possible,” the department said. wrote in a Facebook post.
The Tate County Sheriff’s Office, which was also present at the time of the shooting, declined to comment.
Walmart said it was working with law enforcement during the investigation.
“We are sorry about what happened at our Senabia, MS store,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.
Senatebia is approximately 40 miles (65km) south of Memphis, Tennessee.
