Mississippi Attorney General Finds Officer's Use of Force Justified in Shooting That Killed 1-Year-Old
The officer fired at a vehicle during a shoplifting call at a Senatobia Walmart in June. The family's attorney is calling for release of body-camera footage.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office said Monday that a Senatobia police officer was justified in using force when he fired at a moving vehicle during a June 14 shoplifting call, a shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was inside the car, the Associated Press and NBC News reported.
Investigators said the vehicle was driving toward police. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said in a June report that "the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one," before an officer fired, according to NBC News. The Senatobia Police Department said the attorney general's office is declining prosecution and will close the case, Fox13 Memphis reported.
Ben Crump, an attorney for the family, criticized the decision and called for the release of body-camera and surveillance footage. "If the footage supports the state's decision, release it," Crump said in a statement quoted by NBC News.