Hunter Foster, Senatobia, Mississippi police officer placed on leave for allegedly shooting and killing 1-year-old black boy after firing into car following accusations that the occupants had stolen a box of diapers. Victim identified as Kohen Kartier Wiley as protesters rally against alleged police overkill as cops claim car driving towards officers during ‘getaway.’
What is a box of diapers worth? A Mississippi police officer is alleged to have shot and killed a 1-year-old baby boy after Walmart called 911 to report a theft at the store.
Kohen Kartier Wiley was shot and killed after officers responded to a call for theft of ‘diapers’ at a Senatobia, Miss. outlet on Sunday.
Responding officers encountered two females and a child leaving the building and getting into a vehicle. As officers tried to stop the car, the driver allegedly steered toward them and nearly struck one officer, prompting another officer to fire into the vehicle.
Justice for baby Kohen Wiley
The vehicle made its getaway before arriving at a local hospital, where the child, who had been struck by police gunfire was pronounced dead. An adult woman in the car, identified as a family friend was critically injured. No officers were hurt.
Family members say Wiley was riding with his mother and the friend when the shooting occurred and are disputing official claims that shoplifting took place. The family alleges having a digital receipt for the alleged box of stolen diapers.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said Wiley’s mother has not been charged with any crime and saying she had tried telling officers her baby was in the car. ‘Kohen Wiley was a baby,’ Crump said in a statement decrying the shooting.
‘A 1-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot,’ the statement said. ‘Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she was trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car. They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.’
Protesters gather outside Senatobia Walmart store
Community activists have identified the officer who fired as Senatobia police Sgt. Hunter Foster, though state authorities have not publicly confirmed the officer’s name nor corroborated the claim.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe and will turn its findings over to the state attorney general’s office for review. Protests outside the Senatobia Walmart have drawn demonstrators demanding Foster’s arrest and broader police accountability in the child’s death.
‘You gonna shoot up a car with a baby in it? Come on man, that’s ridiculous. That’s uncalled for. That’s uncalled for. Guaranteed it was because of the color of their skin,’ Kaysoski Sanders told ActionNews5.
Protesters are now demanding police release video of the shooting incident.
Senatobia leaders confirmed Tuesday night that the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave, which is a standard practice after deadly police shootings.
