The Communist Party USA has condemned the recent police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley in Mississippi, saying it stands with those demanding answers and justice for his family.
In a statement dated June 23, the party said that “under no circumstances” should theft result in someone being killed. The statement came in response to the death of Kohen, who was killed on June 14 during an officer-involved shooting outside the Walmart on U.S. Highway 51 in Senatobia.
A statement from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation that was carried by local media said officers with the Senatobia Police Department and Tate County Sheriff’s Office were responding to a shoplifting call when they encountered two adults and a child leaving in a vehicle. Officers allegedly attempted to stop the vehicle when the driver drove in the direction of the officers, nearly striking one before an officer fired. The vehicle left the scene and later arrived at a hospital, where Kohen was pronounced dead, and another person in the vehicle was critically injured.
Kohen’s family has disputed that account, including questioning the claims of shoplifting, and called for the release of both police and Walmart surveillance footage. His mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has said she was holding Kohen in the passenger seat when the shooting happened. Family attorneys have also questioned whether the officer was actually in danger when shots were fired, calling for the release of any footage.
“Let us be clear: under no circumstances should stealing — let alone allegedly stealing diapers — result in murder,” the Communist Party USA wrote. “Families across this country are struggling under the weight of an economic crisis that has left many unable to afford basic necessities.”
The party said the current system prioritizes “criminalization and murder” over ensuring that families have what they need to raise healthy children. It tied Kohen’s death to what it views as a pattern of economic exploitation, systemic racism, and the valuing of corporate property over human life.
The party also compared what happened to similar episodes of state violence, invoking several Black children killed by police in other cases. Specifically, the party referenced 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot in Cleveland in 2014; 13-year-old Tyre King, who was shot in Columbus, Ohio, in 2016; and Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a 7-year-old killed during a police raid in Detroit in 2010.
“We stand in solidarity with the Black community in Mississippi and with all those demanding answers, accountability, and justice for Kohen Wiley,” the party said.
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