Law enforcement officers used tear gas to disperse a crowd Tuesday in Senatobia, Mississippi, amid protests over a police shooting that killed a 1-year-old boy and wounded an adult, ABC24 reported.
The shooting occurred Sunday in a Walmart parking lot, where police were responding to an alleged shoplifting incident. Police and Tate County sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop a vehicle, which they said nearly hit an officer. An officer fired at the car, striking the toddler, Kohen Wiley, according to authorities.
The child was in the car with his mother and a family friend. Family members and the child’s attorney, Ben Crump, said the woman told officers that a child was inside before the shooting. The family maintains the woman and her friend were shopping for diapers and did not commit theft. Kohen later died at a local hospital, and the family friend was critically wounded.
Crowds gathered outside Senatobia City Hall as officials met to address the incident. Hundreds assembled at the Walmart parking lot, prompting police to deploy tear gas to disperse the protesters, Crump said. The officer involved was placed on administrative leave, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case. The agency will present findings to the attorney general’s office, which will review the use of force and may pursue criminal charges.
Crump, who is representing the family alongside Memphis attorney Van Turner, previously handled cases involving law enforcement-related deaths in Mississippi. The case remains under investigation, with no official charges announced.
Update: Media reports indicated law enforcement used tear gas during protests Tuesday evening at Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
