Parents of Kohen Wiley protest in Jackson after Mississippi AG rules shooting justified
The parents of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, killed by police in Senatobia, Miss., protested at the state AG's office demanding answers. The AG ruled the shooting justified.
Family and activists confront Mississippi AG over fatal police shooting of toddler
The parents of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy fatally shot by a police officer in Mississippi, led a protest on Monday at the office of state Attorney General Lynn Fitch in Jackson, according to apnews.com. Fitch had ruled last month that the officer's use of force was justified.
Chants of "our baby's life mattered" filled the lobby of the attorney general's office as Kohen's parents and a small group of activists demanded a face-to-face meeting with Fitch. She was not in the office. Her chief of staff met the group in the lobby.
Activist Marquell Bridges, who has been supporting the family, said the purpose of the visit was direct. "These people work for us. We pay their salaries. We vote. We put them in office, and our people have to understand that we have the power," he said. Bridges said the family wanted Fitch to look them in the eyes and explain her decision.
Shooting at a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia
Kohen was killed in June when Senatobia police Sgt. Hunter Foster fired his weapon into a moving vehicle during a response to a shoplifting call at a local Walmart. Senatobia lies roughly 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.
Body-worn camera footage shows Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, holding the infant as she and a friend ran across the parking lot and entered their car. Five officers approached the vehicle with guns drawn. The car reversed and struck a nearby parked vehicle as officers ordered it to stop.
The vehicle then moved forward. Foster, standing directly in front of it with his gun drawn, appeared to place his hands on the hood as he stepped aside. He fired, shattering the front passenger window — the seat where Kohen was sitting on his mother's lap.
Foster's attorney, Martin Zummach, has said his client had "no choice" but to fire because the vehicle was moving toward him. The Mississippi Attorney General's office concluded its monthslong investigation by finding that Foster's use of force was appropriate.
Father calls for prosecution and political accountability
Kohen would have turned 2 years old the day before the protest. His father, Davion Williams, sat outside the attorney general's office wearing a t-shirt bearing Kohen's face and the words "Kohen should be 2. Vote in his honor."
"It's hard. It's just hard to even express and talk about," Williams said. "Now we have to keep his name alive." He called for Foster to be prosecuted and for Fitch to be removed from office.
The shooting triggered months of mourning and calls for justice, both in Senatobia and nationally.
Arson fire at Senatobia police building under federal investigation
Separately, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating an arson fire that damaged the Senatobia police building on Saturday. The cause of the fire remains unclear. The State Fire Marshal's Office is assisting in the probe. Spokesperson Beth Reiss confirmed a reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)