Daijiworld Media Network – Mississippi

Mississippi, Jun 17: A one-year-old child was killed after police officers responding to a reported shoplifting incident at a Walmart in Mississippi opened fire on a vehicle carrying the child, prompting calls for transparency and accountability from the family.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Senatobia, located about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.

According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one-year-old Kohen Wiley was inside a vehicle with his mother and a family friend when police fired at the vehicle. The child was fatally wounded, while the family friend sustained critical injuries.

Crump said the child's mother had attempted to inform officers that a baby was inside the vehicle and stressed that she had not been charged with any crime.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), which is probing the incident, said officers responding to the scene encountered two adults and a child entering a vehicle after leaving the store. Investigators stated that officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver allegedly drove toward them, nearly striking one officer.

An officer subsequently discharged a firearm, striking the vehicle, according to the MBI. The vehicle later reached a nearby hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.

No police officers were seriously injured in the incident.

The Senatobia Police Department said it is committed to full transparency and will release verified information as the investigation progresses. The city administration described the child's death as a "heartbreaking tragedy" and expressed condolences to the family.

Community advocate Marquell Bridges, who is assisting the family, disputed claims that the child's mother was involved in any theft. He alleged that she had simply been playing with her son before getting into the vehicle and called for the release of body-camera footage and surveillance video from the store.

Kohen's grandfather, Carlos Haynes, described the toddler as a happy child whose life was tragically cut short.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said video footage and other evidence would not be released until investigators complete their inquiry and submit findings to the state attorney general's office for review.

The city of Senatobia has urged residents to avoid speculation while the investigation remains ongoing. Walmart also expressed sadness over the incident and said it is cooperating with law enforcement authorities.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.