Bodycam footage showing the fatal police shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley in Mississippi has been released, days after state investigators concluded that the officer’s use of force was justified.
Kohen was killed on June 14 when Senatobia police Sergeant Hunter Foster fired into a moving vehicle outside a Walmart in Senatobia, about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office has declined to bring criminal charges.
The newly released footage shows Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, carrying him across the car park before getting into a vehicle driven by a family friend. Five officers then approach the car with their weapons drawn.
The vehicle reverses, striking a parked car, before moving forward as officers shout for the driver to stop. Foster steps into its path and appears to place his hands on the bonnet as he moves out of the way, before firing through the front passenger-side window.
Kohen was sitting on his mother’s lap in the passenger seat. The car continued away from the scene, while the footage cuts out shortly afterwards.
Family disputes Mississippi police shooting finding
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said officers had been responding to a report of suspected shoplifting when they saw two women leaving the store. Investigators said the driver moved towards police and nearly struck an officer.
Martin Zummach, who represents Foster, said the officer had no choice but to fire because the vehicle was coming towards him. He has also described additional shots as a “muscle memory” response during a fast-moving confrontation.
Ben Crump, representing Kohen’s family, disputes that account. He said the footage showed the fatal shot was fired from the side of the vehicle, rather than while Foster was directly in its path.
An independent autopsy commissioned by the family also concluded that the bullet entered Kohen’s body from the side. His mother has denied that she or her friend stole anything from Walmart, and neither woman has been charged.
In a statement released on Monday, the city of Senatobia said the Attorney General’s Office had completed its review, found the use of force justified and declined prosecution. Investigators said they examined witness statements, body- and dash-camera recordings and Walmart security footage.
Foster resigned from the Senatobia Police Department on Friday, according to Mayor Greg Graves. His lawyer declined to comment on the resignation.
Kohen’s family has called for a federal investigation. Crump said the state’s decision had failed to answer questions about why an officer fired into a vehicle known to contain a child.
“The word ‘justified’ has haunted me,” Kohen’s maternal grandmother, Veronica Roberson, said at a news conference. “There’s no justification for that.”
