Harrowing bodycam footage released of cop shooting that killed baby boy on mom’s lap

Mississippi authorities have released harrowing body-camera video showing the fatal police shooting of a 1-year-old boy in a Walmart parking lot—a tragedy state investigators deemed justified, but the child's grieving family blasted as a reckless and wanton use of deadly force.Kohen Wiley was killed in June when Senatobia police officer Sgt. Hunter Foster opened fire on a fleeing vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call. The toddler, who would have celebrated his second birthday in early November, was sitting on his mother’s lap in the front passenger seat when the gunfire shattered the window.The Mississippi Attorney General’s office concluded its month-long probe this week without filing criminal charges, declaring Foster’s actions appropriate. However, the decision and subsequent footage have sparked fierce outrage from the family, who learned of the officer's exoneration through news reports and online leaks.Mississippi authorities released video Thursday showing the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by a police officer who opened fire while dodging the car driven by a family friend (AP)"The word ‘justified’ has haunted me," said Veronica Roberson, Kohen’s maternal grandmother, during an emotional news conference. "There’s no justification for that."The drama unfolded on June 14, about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, when officers at the store were alerted to two women fleeing an alleged shoplifting attempt. Video shows Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, carrying the toddler as she and a friend rushed into their car. Five officers swarmed the vehicle with weapons drawn, yelling for the driver to stop as the car reversed, struck a parked vehicle, and then accelerated forward.As the car lurched ahead, Foster stepped directly in front of it. Footage shows the wheels turning away from the officer as he placed his hands on the hood, jumped out of the path of danger, and unleashed his weapon into the side passenger window.Ben Crump, representing the family, aggressively disputed that narrative, pointing out that the fatal shot was fired from the side of the vehicle after Foster was already out of harm's way (AFP/Getty)Defense attorney Martin Zummach claimed Foster had "no choice" but to shoot, insisting the driver used the vehicle as a deadly weapon and that follow-up shots were triggered by pure "muscle memory."Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, aggressively disputed that narrative, pointing out that the fatal shot was fired from the side of the vehicle after Foster was already out of harm's way. Crump slammed the high-stakes confrontation over alleged stolen diapers as an excessive and reckless tragedy."Diapers should never cost a baby their life," Crump said, calling for a federal investigation into the shooting.While use-of-force experts remain divided on whether Foster violated police standards by placing himself in front of a moving vehicle, Kohen’s mother has denied any theft, and no criminal charges have been filed against the driver.