Mukta Joshi is an investigative reporter at Mississippi Today. She is spending a year as a New York Times Local Investigations fellow examining immigration and criminal justice issues. She can be reached at [email protected].
SENATOBIA – Nearly three weeks after police fatally shot a 1-year-old boy outside a Mississippi Walmart, state and local law enforcement agencies have offered few details about the incident and refused repeated requests to release public records.
Kohen Wiley, the toddler, was with his 19-year-old mother and her friend when they were accused of shoplifting a box of diapers, his family said. Senatobia police responded, and Tate County sheriff’s deputies, who were already present at the Walmart, went to assist them. During the resulting confrontation, one of the officers shot into the women’s vehicle as it drove away.
At a press conference Wednesday, attorneys for the boy’s family said their pleas for body-worn and dashboard camera footage and surveillance video from the Walmart where the shooting took place have been denied. They said authorities told them evidence would be shared after the shooting was investigated, a process that could take months.
On Thursday morning, I visited the Senatobia Police Department to ask for one document in particular – the incident report describing the shooting.
Incident reports are routinely filed by law enforcement officers to document the basics of situations they responded to. They are unique because Mississippi public information law specifically requires agencies to make those reports public, regardless of any active investigation.
These reports often include the names of officers who respond to a 911 call, details of who made the call and a description of how the officers responded. So far, authorities have not released any of those details about the Walmart shooting.
When I arrived at the Senatobia police station, I was introduced to a sergeant who said Hampton was his last name. I asked him if I could read the incident report related to the June 14 shooting. He refused my request, saying he could not “release, show or divulge” anything related to the incident because it was part of an ongoing investigation.
I tried unsuccessfully for several minutes to explain the law and convince him that he was required to disclose the document. “Well, I’m not gonna stand here and debate with you all day long about public records law,” Hampton said.
I said, “Sir, it is the law.”
“I just told you what is gonna go on,” he said. “If you don’t agree with that, you’re far more than welcome to go, look into your laws. You’re welcome to run it up the chain even further.”
I asked him for his name, so that I could quote him. That led to this exchange:
“Sergeant,” he answered.
That’s your first name?
“Sergeant.”
You’re not willing to share your full name?
“Sergeant.”
Is that your full name?
“Sergeant.”
Could you share your full name, please?
“I just told you my name. Sergeant.”
Your first name is Sergeant?
“Sergeant.”
OK, and what’s your position at the police department?
“Sergeant.”
I have since filed a request with the state’s public safety department, which is investigating the shooting and has the Senatobia police incident report. In the request, I cited the section of the Mississippi Public Records Act that says, “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to exempt from public disclosure a law enforcement incident report.”
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