1-year-old boy dies after officer fires gun at Walmart shoplifting suspects, officials say

SENATOBIA, Miss. (WMC/Gray News) — Family members are seeking answers after a 1-year-old boy died in an officer-involved shooting at a Walmart in Mississippi.

The shooting happened Sunday afternoon at the Walmart store in Senatobia.

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), Senatobia police officers and Tate County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shoplifting call when they saw two adults and the child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. The driver then headed toward the officers, nearly hitting one of them.

One officer then fired shots at the car.

The people in the vehicle later arrived at a nearby hospital, where the child was pronounced dead and a woman was critically injured.

MBI said no officers were injured.

Family members who waited outside the hospital are in shock.

“All we know is that a car was shot up and a 1-year-old baby was killed, and then nobody tells us anything,” Carolyn Stokes, great-grandmother of the victim, said.

The family questioned the officer’s use of force.

“Policeman shot, opened fire in a public setting, over allegedly some Pampers,” Licole Wiley, the child’s grandmother and the sister of the critically injured woman, said. “Whatever the incident may have come to, it still didn’t need for you to shoot two adults and a baby that was not even a threat to you.”

Lasandra Williams, the child’s other grandmother, said she wants justice for her grandson.

“Everybody that was involved need to be held accountable. I’m not giving up until I get justice. Justice will be served. If it has anything to do with me, it will be served,” Williams said.

MBI said it is assessing and gathering evidence on the shooting and will share its findings once the investigation is complete.

Senatobia police, while not directly saying one of their officers fired the shots, said they are investigating the shooting and are committed to full transparency as they gather information.

“I’m more angry, because the situation that took place really was unnecessary, from what I’m hearing of what happened. It was unnecessary,” Williams said.

Walmart released a statement Monday that said: “We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store. The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We’re working with law enforcement as they continue investigating.”