Mississippi AG Rules Police Shooting of Toddler Justified
Left 67%
Center 33%
Right 0%
2 left · 1 center · 0 right
What happened
On June 14, Senatobia, Mississippi, police responded to a reported shoplifting at a Walmart involving Vellesiya Wiley, Latoya Ferrell, and Wiley's one-year-old son, Kohen Wiley. As the group left in a vehicle, Sgt. Hunter Foster fired into the car, killing Kohen Wiley and wounding Ferrell. Police said the driver steered toward officers and nearly struck one; the family disputes that account and cites an independent autopsy indicating the shot came from the side of the vehicle. Four months later, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office, after a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation review, ruled the use of force justified. Neither woman has been charged over the shoplifting allegation, and video of the incident has not been publicly released.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 3 articles
3 of 3 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 3 of 3
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Ben Crump, Lynn Fitch’s office, Mississippi attorney general Lynn Fitch, Mississippi bureau of investigation and attorney general
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 1 of 3
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: police reports, independent autopsy, statement
- Credits another outlet 0 of 3
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
- Unnamed sources 0 of 3
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Oct 19, 20:58 UTC by The Guardian, naming its source. First document in the first report, from The Guardian (police reports).
- Not counted 0
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
The story exists only on one side. Right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication, so those readers never learn that Mississippi's attorney general found the police shooting of a toddler justified. Left-leaning coverage, including the Guardian and NBC News, reports that Lynn Fitch called the use of force justified after a bureau investigation, while also reporting that an independent autopsy indicated the child was shot from the side of the car. A reader of the silent side is missing that clash with the claim the driver almost struck an officer, and that neither woman has been charged.
Left-leaning coverage also splits on emphasis. A chief fired after using racial slurs is how the Guardian frames the department around this ruling. The mother's account that officers stood on the right while the car went left is what NBC News puts after the attorney general's finding.
Why has footage of the shooting still not been released?
Bottom line
Mississippi's attorney general called the Senatobia shooting justified, but four months later the Guardian still notes that the family's autopsy indicated a shot from the side of the car, and right-leaning outlets have not reported the case at all.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- The Mississippi attorney general's office found the officer's use of force was justified
- The officer who fired was identified as Sgt. Hunter Foster
- Officials have not released any evidence of shoplifting
- The mother lifted the baby to show officers there was a child in the car
- The driver inadvertently hit another car while the mother's door was open
The Left View
The Guardian and NBC News reported Fitch's finding that the shooting was justified while stressing that neither woman has been charged, that no public evidence of theft has been released, and that Wiley said she lifted the baby to show officers a child was in the car. Both outlets highlighted attorney Ben Crump's claim that an independent autopsy contradicts the account that the vehicle headed at officers, and his demand that body-camera footage be released. Coverage also noted prior Senatobia police controversies, including a former chief's racial slurs and the 2023 arrest of a 10-year-old Black boy. CBS News reported the same AG conclusion and the MBI's description of a vehicle fleeing and nearly striking an officer.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: it involves a named AG finding, an MBI investigation, identified people (Sgt. Hunter Foster, Kohen Wiley, Vellesiya Wiley, Latoya Ferrell), and competing physical claims rather than a single uncorroborated account. Established: a one-year-old was killed by police gunfire during a shoplifting response; Fitch ruled the force justified; footage has not been released. Unresolved or alleged: whether the vehicle threatened officers, whether any theft occurred, and what unreleased video would show. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for release of body- or dash-camera video, ballistic or autopsy records, and any discipline or charges involving Foster.
3 sources
More stories
The week's bottom lines, in your inbox
One email a week: the five stories that mattered and what they actually mean. Free.