Vellesiya Wiley addresses the circumstances surrounding her son Kohen's death after a shooting by a police officer in Senatobia, Mississippi. She denies shoplifting allegations and describes the tragic incident.
Vellesiya Wiley, the mother of one-year-old Kohen Wiley, has publicly spoken about the tragic circumstances surrounding her son's fatal shooting by a police officer outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi.
In a video shared on social media by attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday, Vellesiya clarified rumors that she had been shoplifting diapers at the store. She explained that she was leaving Walmart with her son when police stopped her friend, prompting her to continue walking as the situation did not involve her directly.
Vellesiya recounted how she got into a car with her son and her friend, who was driving. As they were about to leave, she noticed the police drawing their weapons. "I raised my baby up because they was drawing their guns," she stated in the video, indicating that she wanted to show the officers that her child was in the vehicle.
As the driver reversed the car, it struck another vehicle. Vellesiya reported hearing three gunshots, with one bullet hitting Kohen in the rib cage and the others striking the driver in her arm and thigh. Following the shooting, they rushed to a nearby hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead, while the driver received treatment for her injuries. Vellesiya reported that she was unharmed during the incident.
Outside the hospital, a crowd inquired about what had occurred, only to be informed by police that she was involved in shoplifting. Vellesiya clarified that the police were referencing the driver, not her. She also denied claims that her friend had driven directly at the officers, stating, "They was all on the right side and she was driving toward the left."
Vellesiya asserted that the police officers had intentionally fired into the vehicle. Following the incident, she was not charged with any crime. The officer responsible for the shooting has not been publicly identified but has been placed on administrative leave, according to reports from Newsweek.
Kohen’s great-grandmother, Carolyn Stokes, expressed her disapproval of the police's actions, calling the shooting "reckless" and questioning the necessity of firing into a car. She remarked, "It was unnecessary to be firing into a car. Why did you draw your weapon on people that were potential shoplifters?" Stokes further added, "It was just reckless, crazy... God has the last say; he will bring this all to the forefront in due time."
