In the quiet community of Pope, Mississippi, a grieving family recently gathered to bid a final farewell to 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. Before he was placed inside a small casket accompanied by a stuffed Bluey, his family had looked forward to his second birthday and a lifetime of milestones. These dreams were cut short on June 14 in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, a city about 40 miles from Memphis, when the toddler was shot by police responding to a reported shoplifting call. After his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, witnessed him take his final breath thirteen days later, she joined loved ones at the Hosanna Family Worship Center to mourn the child she shared an inseparable bond with.
During the funeral, the Rev. Keri Henson, guided by Pastor Fred Butts, shared memories of the young boy, noting that his father, Davion Williams, described him as “kind of goofy,” while his grandfather considered him his favorite person. As attendees wore blue in his honor, the circumstances of the shooting remained a central, unresolved question. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation stated that officers arrived to find two subjects and a juvenile fleeing the store to a vehicle. Authorities claimed the driver nearly struck an officer, prompting the discharge of a weapon. Conversely, Vellesiya Wiley, who was a passenger, stated the driver—a friend who remains unidentified—was not attempting to hit anyone. The driver sustained critical injuries during the incident.
Civil rights attorney Van Turner, representing the family, declared at the service that there was no justification for the tragedy. He told the crowd that nothing inside the Walmart was worth more than a child, noting the police were reportedly called over allegedly stolen diapers. Attorney Ben Crump has joined the legal team in demanding the immediate release of body camera footage, though authorities have refused until their investigation is complete. The officer involved in the shooting remains on administrative leave.
During a visitation held Friday at West Gilmore Church of Christ, 38-year-old Myron Cathey expressed hope that the tragedy might lead to meaningful change in Senatobia, noting that the nation is now witnessing local issues that residents have dealt with for years. Renay Jones, who attended, highlighted a perceived shift in the police department, citing the 2023 arrest of her then-10-year-old cousin for public urination as an example of troubling overpolicing. Community members, including Kohen’s cousin Edward Scott, have called for a boycott of the local Walmart.
Following the service, the procession departed as a horse-drawn carriage carried the casket, preceded by a group of motorcyclists. A funeral director read a proclamation from state Sen. Justin Pope, promising that Kohen would be deeply missed. While the community seeks accountability, the family continues to lean on their legal counsel to push for answers regarding the fatal encounter that took the life of a boy who deserved a future filled with love.
