1-year-old killed in police shooting at Mississippi Walmart

A 1-year-old is dead after police shot at a car outside of a Walmart store in Mississippi, according to officials and an attorney for the child’s family.

Officers were responding to a report of shoplifting at a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi around 2 p.m. local time on June 14 when the shooting occurred, the Senatobia Police Department said in a statement.

The ​toddler, identified as Kohen Wiley, was sitting in his mother’s car when police allegedly opened fire on it, attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said in a statement. Investigators alleged the car was moving toward the officers and ⁠almost struck them.

Crump said in a statement that Wiley’s mother has not been charged with a crime. He also said she was trying to notify officers ‌that the child was in the car prior to the shooting.

“They fired ​anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old,” he said. “We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. In addition to Wiley’s death, another individual had “critical injuries,” according to a release from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

Here’s what we know ⁠so far.

Officials say driver almost struck officers

MDPS said in its release that when officers ‌arrived to respond to the shoplifting call, ‌they “encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle.”

When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver allegedly drove in the direction of the officers and ⁠almost struck them, the release said.

One of the officers then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene, according to officials.

The subjects then arrived at a local hospital, where Wiley was pronounced dead and the ‌other injured person was treated. No law enforcement ‌officers were injured, officials said.

Kohen Wiley’s mother denies that driver drove toward officers

In a video shared with USA TODAY by Crump’s office, Wiley’s mother Vellesiya Wiley said the incident began when she, her son and a friend were leaving ⁠Walmart.

After officers stopped her friend, Vellesiya Wiley said she and her son continued walking to their ​car because they were not involved in ⁠the situation ​at that point.

Once the friend returned to the car, they began backing out when officers came towards the car and allegedly drew their guns, she said.

“I raised my baby up trying to show them that he was in the car,” she said.

“By the time I sat my baby down, it was like three to ⁠four shots,” she continued. “One of the shots hit him in his rib cage. And the other shots hit her in her arm and her thigh.”

In response to reports that the alleged shoplifting involved diapers, Vellesiya Wiley said her friend was buying diapers and the purchase was ⁠likely captured on self-checkout cameras.

“They tried to say that she forcefully was trying to drive and hit them,” she said, but added that the officers were allegedly on the right side and “she was driving towards the left.”

Officer placed on leave, protests break out in shooting aftermath

On June 16, Senatobia’s mayor and board ⁠of aldermen voted to place the officer involved in ‌the shooting on administrative leave, city officials said. The officer has not been ​publicly identified.

After the boy’s ‌death, protests broke out in the city, which is about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.

Law enforcement deployed ​tear gas at protesters on June 16, according to local reports from WAPT, WREG and WMC.