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By Jordan King
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The mother of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley said a police officer fatally shot her son in the rib cage during a confrontation outside a Walmart in Mississippi on Sunday.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said officers were responding to a shoplifting call in Senatobia when they "encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle."
The bureau added that as police tried to stop the vehicle, the driver drove toward them and almost hit an officer. An officer then shot at the vehicle before the driver drove away.
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Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen's mother, said in a video posted on social media on Wednesday that she was leaving the Walmart with her son when her friend was stopped by police. "I kept walking because it had nothing to do with me," she said.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Wiley said her friend then got into the vehicle and began to reverse, adding that when police officers drew their guns, she lifted up her son "to show them that he was in the car."
"By the time I sat my baby back down, it was like three or four shots. One of the shots hit him in his rib cage," she said. The other shots hit her friend "in her arm and her thigh."
They then drove to hospital, but Kohen was later pronounced dead. Wiley said that she was unable to see her son until his body was returned from Jackson, Mississippi.
Wiley said that she had not been charged with any offense following the incident. She added that officers suspected her friend of shoplifting, but she was unsure whether they had found any items.
The officer who fired at the vehicle has not been identified but was placed on administrative leave, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
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Kohen Wiley's Great-Grandma Speaks Out
Kohen's great-grandma Carolyn Stokes, 72, previously told Newsweek the shooting was "reckless."
"It was unnecessary to be firing into a car," she said. "Why did you draw your weapon on people that were potential shoplifters? Why did you not go into the store? Because they were rushing from the store? They could've just been in a hurry."
"It was just reckless, crazy," Stokes added. "I might as well say he had killing on his mind. I'm not a psychiatrist or anything like that, but it's weird and crazy. … God has the last say; he will bring this all to the forefront in due time."
What Police Said of the Shooting
According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, officers from the Senatobia Police Department and Tate County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported shoplifting incident at a Walmart on U.S. Highway 51 in Senatobia.
"Officers encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle," the bureau said. "Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one."
"An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene," it continued. "The subjects arrived at a local hospital where one juvenile child in the vehicle was pronounced deceased, and another subject had critical injuries. No law enforcement officers received any serious physical injury."
What Happens Next
The bureau said it was investigating the shooting and collecting evidence. Once the investigation is complete, the agency is expected to submit its findings to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell previously told reporters at a news conference that body camera footage and other evidence would remain unreleased until the investigation was finished and presented to the Attorney General's Office for consideration of possible charges. He did not provide an estimated timeline for the probe.
"Make no mistake, this is a very tragic situation," Tindell said.
"I want the public to be assured that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation will conduct its independent investigation. We have five agents working on this case, gathering statements, gathering evidence and working diligently to prepare a file to present to the AG's office," he continued.
The public safety commissioner has urged the public to "maintain patience as much as possible" until the process is complete.
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