Autopsy Raises Questions in Police Shooting

Police cars behind yellow caution tape at a street scene — Photo: Matt Gush / Shutterstock

Mississippi’s attorney general cleared the officer who shot and killed a 1-year-old boy in a Walmart parking lot, even though the family’s own autopsy says the fatal bullet hit him from the side, not from the front where officials say the danger was.

Story Snapshot

Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office ruled officer Hunter Foster’s use of force “justified” and said there was not enough evidence to file charges.
The family’s independent autopsy found the fatal bullet entered Kohen Wiley from the side, not the front, contradicting the state’s account.
Newly released footage includes three body camera videos and two Walmart surveillance clips from the June 14 shooting.
Foster and Senatobia’s interim police chief both resigned days after the video came out.
Kohen’s parents protested outside the attorney general’s office, demanding criminal charges be filed.

A Shoplifting Call Turns Deadly

On June 14, 2026, Senatobia police responded to a shoplifting report at a Walmart. Vellesiya Wiley was holding her 1-year-old son, Kohen, as she and another woman got into a car in the parking lot. Officer Hunter Foster fired three shots into the vehicle. One bullet killed the baby boy, who was never accused of taking anything from the store.

Police say the driver tried to flee and steered the car toward officers, nearly hitting one of them, as Foster stood near the front or passenger side of the vehicle. Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, said his client “had no choice” but to fire because the car was about to hit him, and that the footage proves Foster was in real danger.

Family’s Autopsy Contradicts the State’s Account

Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced it found “the use of force was justified” and would not charge Foster or any other officer, citing “insufficient evidence of criminal conduct”. The office first issued that finding with little public detail, and video of the shooting was not released right away, leaving the family and the public to wait weeks for a fuller picture of what happened.

Family attorney Ben Crump said an autopsy the family paid for tells a different story. He said the fatal shot came from the side of the car, not from the front, where the state says the vehicle was bearing down on Foster. The released video includes three officer body cameras and two Walmart surveillance recordings, giving outside viewers several angles to study the car’s path and Foster’s position.

Officer Resigns as Protests Grow

Senatobia’s police chief and Foster both resigned after the video became public, even though the attorney general had already decided against criminal charges. Body camera footage shows three shots came from Foster’s gun, and the state’s own investigation found the car drove into officers, a claim that directly conflicts with the family’s side-angle evidence.

Police Officer Who Shot Dead One-Year-Old Kohen Wiley Resigns After State Rulinghttps://t.co/N2DqaCnBf4 pic.twitter.com/CJWK5yDLgG

— Fish 4 News (@Fish4NewsUK) October 28, 2026

Kohen’s parents protested outside the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, demanding charges be filed against Foster. Their fight touches a wider debate over police shooting at moving cars. Studies of large U.S. police departments have found that agencies with stricter rules against firing at moving vehicles see fewer such shootings, raising questions about whether policy, not just one officer’s choice, shaped what happened to Kohen Wiley.