Mother Of Kohen Kartier Wiley Says No One Drove Toward Cop

The fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley by a Senatobia, Mississippi, police officer has prompted protests across Senatobia, and now it has gained national attention, prompting yet another national discussion about the worth of a Black life in a “justice” system that routinely prioritizes the protection of violent cops and their careers.

Missing from the conversation, so far, has been any testimony from the young Black mother who lost her son over what the police department alleges was a shoplifting investigation. But now, Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen’s mother, has released a video explanation of her side of the story.

According to NBC 12 News, the video was released by Wiley’s attorney. In it, she said her friend was confronted by police as they were leaving the Walmart, where the shooting took place on June 14, and that she kept walking because it didn’t have anything to do with her or her baby.

From NBC:

She said, shortly after she got in the car with her son, her friend got in the car.

Vellesiya said that is when officers arrived and started to draw their guns as her friend was backing up.

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

As her friend was backing up, Vellesiya said the car hit into another car. 

She said by the time she set Kohen down, she heard three or four shots.

“One of the shots hit him in his rib cage,” Vellesiya said.

Her friend was hit in the arm and thigh, she said.

As we previously reported, the Senatobia Police Department has claimed the driver of the vehicle drove “in the direction” of an officer, forcing the officer to open fire, which, as we previously noted, is a familiar tune sung by cops who are seeking to explain why they needed to shoot and kill a Black person who was unarmed.  At any rate, Whiley said in her video that her friend was not driving toward the officers at all when the shots were fired.

Predictably, the tragic, violent, unconscionable death of a Black infant hasn’t dissuaded bootlicking racists across the internet from blaming the mother, the alleged shoplifter, and anyone else but the cop for what happened.

Still, the more dominant and relevant voices across social media are amplifying Kohen and Vellesiya’s story as exactly what it is: another case on top of many more like it, where trigger-happy cops treat Black life like it isn’t worth much more than the price of a bullet.

As usual, it’s up to the people to demand justice.

As it stands, Kohen’s case is still being investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI). The officer who shot Kohen has been placed on administrative leave. Authorities have still not released his name.

SEE ALSO:

Mississippi Cop Fatally Shoots 1-Year-Old Black Boy During Reported Shoplifting Incident

Cops Deploy Tear Gas On Protesters After Cop Fatally Shoots Black Baby