Newly released body camera footage has brought renewed attention to the June 14, 2026, police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi. The recording, captured later that afternoon outside Highland Hills Medical Center, reveals an exchange between officers about the moments before shots were fired. When one officer asked whether a baby had been visible in the vehicle, another replied, “Nobody knew the baby was there. All I saw was two females in the car.” He also acknowledged that he could not independently confirm information others had shared with him. The footage has intensified scrutiny of an incident that left Kohen dead and another person critically injured. His mother, Vellesiya Wiley, previously claimed she raised her son to show officers he was inside the vehicle before gunfire erupted. Her account differed from authorities’ assertion that the driver drove toward officers, nearly striking one as they attempted to stop the vehicle following a reported shoplifting incident.

Months of grief and demands for answers followed Kohen’s death, with his family and civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Van Turner calling for the release of police recordings and Walmart surveillance video. An independent forensic review reportedly determined that the fatal bullet entered the right side of the toddler’s chest and exited through his left side. On October 20, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that its investigation found the officer’s use of force justified, concluding the state’s review of the shooting. The officer’s attorney, Martin Zummach, maintained that his client faced a dangerous situation and had no choice but to fire. However, the newly surfaced conversation has renewed attention to what officers knew about the child before the shooting, while the family continues to seek answers. Relatives have also received community support through a fundraiser that collected nearly $29,000 toward a $30,000 goal, helping cover funeral expenses and potential attorney and court costs. For Kohen’s loved ones, the official decision does not erase their loss or end their questions about the events that took their little boy’s life.