The key facts
- One-year-old Cohen Wiley died on June 14 in the town of Saucier (Senatobia), when an officer opened fire on a moving car after a report of a theft at a Walmart.
- The state attorney general deemed the use of force justified; the officer, Hunter Foster, has resigned according to the mayor.
- The family, with attorney Ben Crump, calls the police actions excessive; no charges were brought against the mother.
Incident footage released
Mississippi authorities on Thursday released body camera footage showing the circumstances of the death of one-year-old Cohen Wiley, who was fatally wounded by a police officer on June 14 in the town of Senatobia. According to the BBC, the incident occurred after a store employee reported a theft in the Walmart parking lot. The child was on his mother Velescia Wiley's lap in a moving car, in which another woman was also sitting, when five armed police officers surrounded the vehicle.
Chronology from the footage
The footage released by state authorities shows that, after the store employee said the suspects were leaving, five police officers ran toward the car with weapons drawn. The car backs up, hitting a parked vehicle, then drives forward. The officer with the camera runs toward the car with his pistol raised, shouts 'Stop!' and, as the car passes close by, fires, shattering the passenger-side window. Four shots are heard; police demand the driver stop, but the car slowly drives out of the parking lot. Surveillance camera footage, according to the BBC, shows that at the moment of the shot another officer was near the front of the moving car.
Position of authorities and the officer
The state attorney general concluded that the officer was justified in using force. The officer's attorney Martin Zummach told the BBC that 'the driver of the car was trying to kill these five police officers,' and that his client 'had no choice but to use his weapon.' He added: 'We deeply mourn the loss of life. But the outcome of the investigation was not only expected, but also overdue.' Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed to the BBC's partner, CBS, that the officer who fired, Hunter Foster, has resigned. The Senatobia Police Department, according to the BBC, did not promptly respond to requests for confirmation.
Family's reaction
The child's family disputes the finding that the shooting was justified. Attorney Ben Crump called the police actions 'excessive from the very beginning' and said that a theft charge 'does not justify' the child's death. The boy's mother denies that she and her acquaintance stole diapers from the store; no charges were brought against them. The child's death sparked protests and memorial events in Mississippi. At a press conference, relatives demanded that those responsible be held accountable. 'After what I saw today, it is hard for me to understand the word
Image source, Ben Crump Law Kohen Wiley
