Family of 1-year-old boy fatally shot by Mississippi police say goodbye, as questions remain

POPE, Miss.— Before the outcry, before the demands for justice, before he was placed inside a small casket with a stuffed Bluey, a family had looked forward to sharing simple moments with Kohen Wiley, who was just months away from his second birthday and named by his maternal grandma. Fishing trips with grandpa. Getting to know his cousins. The first day of school. Those dreams ended June 14 in a Walmart parking lot in the north Mississippi city of Senatobia, about 40 miles away from Memphis, when 1-year-old Wiley was shot by police responding to a shoplifting call. Thirteen days later, after his mother watched him take his last breath, she walked into a rural Mississippi church holding a stuffed Bluey of her own to say goodbye to her baby boy. Delivering the eulogy, the Rev. Keri Henson, under the leadership of Pastor Fred Butts, shared how Kohen’s mother had witnessed his first steps, calling their bond “inseparable,” while Kohen’s father had described him as “kind of goofy.” His grandfather, Henson said, had deemed Kohen his “favorite person.” “We can look at his pictures and see the light in his eyes,” Henson said. As mourners gathered in the sanctuary of Hosanna Family Worship Center, many wearing shades of blue in tribute, questions surrounding the shooting remained. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has said the shooting unfolded when responding officers arriving at the Walmart saw “two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle.” Authorities said the driver almost struck an officer, and an officer opened fire. Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has said she was a passenger in the car and that the driver, a friend who has not been identified, was not trying to hit anyone as she attempted to drive away. The investigating agency said Wiley’s friend was critically injured in the shooting. During the service, Van Turner, a Memphis-based civil rights attorney representing the family, told the crowd there was no justification for Kohen’s death. “There is nothing in that Walmart store that is more precious than a baby,” he said to applause. The family’s legal team have said the police were called over allegedly stolen diapers. “He deserved to have a life full of love,” Turner continued. “He deserved to make his parents proud. He deserved more than to have his life taken on that day over some diapers.” Turner, who was joined on stage by Kohen’s mother and father, Davion Williams, said the moment called for mourning and action. “Today, we celebrate his precious soul,” he said in closing. “On tomorrow and the next day, we’re going to shout ‘Justice for Baby Kohen. Justice for Baby Kohen.’” “Justice for Baby Kohen,” the crowd echoed. Earlier in the week, prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing the family, called for an immediate release of body cam footage from the fatal shooting. Authorities have said they will not release recordings from the event until their investigation is complete. Other departments have shared such images with the public sooner. During a visitation Friday and outside Saturday’s service, some attendees spoke of strained relationships with the town’s police force, which has become embroiled in recent years by accusations of overpolicing. Local and state officials have not identified the officer who opened fire. The city’s police department previously said the officer was placed on leave. In the early afternoon, a roar ripped through the stifling Mississippi heat, as dozens of motorcycles leading the funeral procession rumbled into the church parking lot. Mourners filed by Kohen’s open casket taking in a carefully arranged memorial to his life. There was a small toy lawn mower. Stuffed teddy bears tucked inside sprays of flowers. An arrangement of baby blue, navy and yellow flowers that spelled out his name. Projected on several screens was a picture of Kohen in gingham overalls, standing next to Bluey. His casket was lined with images of the blue cartoon dog. As the service began, it was clasped shut. During a visitation Friday, dozens sat in the pews of West Gilmore Church of Christ back in Senatobia. As mourners talked quietly, nursery rhymes were interspersed with traditional gospel hymns. Standing in a doorway, Myron Cathey, 38, held a box of tissues for visitors. “Prayerfully this will be a change for Senatobia,” he said. “Because now the nation sees what we’ve been dealing with.” Standing outside in a T-shirt bearing Kohen’s face, Renay Jones, who grew up in Senatobia and knows one of the child’s grandmothers, said she once recalled friendly relationships with Black officers. But, she said, a troubling change had occurred in the department over the years. The 2023 arrest of her then-10-year-old cousin for urinating in public brought fierce condemnation. Jones said the incident, along with Kohen’s death, made her concerned for younger family members still living in the community. “Senatobia could be a good place,” she said. “It just needs the right people running it.” Some have called for boycotting Walmart, both locally and nationally, in response to Kohen’s death. The corporation’s Senatobia store was closed as marchers protested Friday. Outside the funeral, Edward Scott, a cousin of Kohen’s, said he hoped people “would stay away from that Walmart.” He questioned why the officer alleged to have shot Kohen was hired. Turner, a family attorney, told attendees that Crump would be traveling to Senatobia soon to continue the push for accountability. At the conclusion of the service, a funeral director read a proclamation from state Sen. Justin Pope expressing that Kohen would “be cherished” and “deeply missed.” Six small children dressed in white and navy carried his casket to a white horse drawn carriage waiting outside.