Mississippi attorney general rules police force 'justified' in fatal shooting of one-year-old

Mississippi's attorney general has ruled that police used 'justified' force when they shot at a car during a shoplifting investigation, killing a one-year-old boy inside. After the ruling, the dead child's family lawyer strongly objected and demanded the release of footage from the incident.

The dead child was Kohen Wiley. In June, in the city of Senatobia, he was shot while sitting on his mother's lap in the passenger seat of a car. Police say the car was being driven at officers.

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, police were called to a Walmart store on 14 June after a report that nappies and baby clothes had allegedly been stolen. Officers arrived to find two women and a child walking towards a car.

Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but it was allegedly driven at one of them, nearly striking the officer. One officer then opened fire, fatally striking the boy and critically injuring the driver, Latoya Ferrell.

Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has denied the theft allegations. She said she lifted her son up from her lap to show officers he was there before he was hit by gunfire. Neither she nor the driver of the vehicle has been charged with a crime.

In a short statement on Monday, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote: 'In this incident, the Attorney General's Office found the use of force was justified.' The ruling effectively closes the path to criminal charges against the officer involved.

Police have still not released any footage from the shooting — neither video from officer-worn body cameras nor CCTV recordings from the parking lot. The family lawyer has questioned accepting a decision without seeing that footage.

The Wiley family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, objected to Fitch's finding, saying: 'How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?' He continued: 'If the footage supports the state's decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth.'

On the other side, Martin Zummach, a lawyer for the officer who fired the shots, told the Associated Press the driver had 'tried to kill' his client. 'He had no choice but to fire his weapon,' Zummach said.

The death happened on the Juneteenth US holiday, which recognises the end of slavery in the US, and triggered protests in Senatobia. Protesters have alleged that race played a role in the investigation. Kohen and both women are black, while the officer who fired the shots is reportedly white.

Last month, the city fired its white police chief after newspapers unearthed text messages in which he repeatedly used racial slurs. That background has deepened local anger surrounding the case.

After the attorney general's ruling, the family's next legal steps — and whether the footage is released as demanded — will determine the next turn in this case.