Police Guard Mississippi Walmart After Protest Over Officer Killing 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley
Updated
Updated · Commercial Appeal · Jun 17
Police Guard Mississippi Walmart After Protest Over Officer Killing 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley
3 articles · Updated · Commercial Appeal · Jun 17
Summary
Police maintained a visible presence at a Senatobia Walmart on June 17, a day after officers used tear gas on protesters angered by the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
The protest followed a June 14 shoplifting call in which an officer fired into a vehicle outside the store, killing Wiley; the city said June 16 that the officer had been placed on leave.
Several armed people identifying themselves as off-duty police working security stood outside the store, and some shoppers turned away after seeing multiple police cars.
Later June 17, activists and Wiley's relatives returned with photos and "Justice for Kohen" signs, then removed signs from the wall after police said Walmart objected.
The guarded store underscored how the shooting has quickly escalated from a local police response into a sustained public protest over accountability.