Jackson, Mississippi, October 20 (TNA) Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office has cleared a Senatobia police officer of criminal wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Walmart parking lot four months ago.
The Attorney General’s Office said the officer’s use of force was justified after completing its review of the June 14 incident. The decision means the officer, identified in reports as Hunter Foster, will not face criminal charges over the child’s death.
Police had responded to a Walmart in Senatobia following a report that baby supplies had allegedly been stolen. Officers opened fire at a vehicle as it left the parking lot, killing Wiley, who was inside the car. According to investigators, the vehicle was allegedly being driven towards an officer, prompting the use of deadly force. The officer’s attorney said the Attorney General’s findings cleared his client of criminal wrongdoing.
Neither the child’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, nor the woman who was driving the vehicle has been charged with a crime in connection with the incident. The child’s family and its representatives had previously sought answers about the circumstances of the shooting and whether officers knew a baby was inside the car.
The ruling has drawn renewed attention to the use of deadly force during police responses to alleged property crimes. Critics and community members have questioned the decision, while officials said the review found no basis for criminal prosecution.
Several details about the incident, including the full investigative findings and whether body-camera or other video evidence will be released, remained unclear in the latest reports. The case has sparked mourning and calls for accountability in Senatobia, a city located about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.