Oct. 20, 2026
Mississippi Officer “Justified” In Shooting One Year Old Boy
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RSS Feed After a four month investigation, Mississippi’s Attorney General announced that a white officer was justified when he shot at a moving vehicle, killing a 1-year-old black boy and critically injuring the driver. Little Kohen Wiley’s mom and her friend were accused of shoplifting a box of diapers from Walmart, when 5 officers surrounded their vehicle as they were leaving the parking lot. Both women deny stealing anything and have never been charged. The officer who fired the shots, 33-year-old Hunter Foster, has had two accusations of using racial expletives towards his black co-workers and the police chief who chose not to discipline him, was just fired last month for using racial expletives in texts with colleagues.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Tuesday, October 20th, and a major update on a case the country really has been watching. A one-year-old black boy shot and killed by a white officer who was firing into a vehicle. Well, prosecutors now say that shooting was justified. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. Where did this incident take place?
00:00:29
Speaker 2: In Mississippi.
00:00:31
Speaker 1: So you see where we're going, you see what this is. Robes, here we go.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: But this story gets even more outrageous when you get into the details. The New York Times actually goes into this officer's history. Wait for it. We will tell you what this investigation showed.
00:00:51
Speaker 1: Robes, there are black folks listening. They're like, yeah, we know what it shows. You don't have to continue the story.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: Right?
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Isn't that crazy? This isn't shocking this isn't wild this isn't crazy this is normal this is normal stuff to hear that a cop several cops behind the scenes are dropping in words left and right and these are the folks who are supposed to be getting justice for the black folks who are getting harmed in that community.
00:01:16
Speaker 2: Babe the police chief just got fired.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: Last month nobody no nothing surprising nothing that they got caught maybe that something was done about it. This is wild. And this is Mississippi. And this is why Nolan Wells, some folks just can't let it go. That could be totally, we just can't just take our word for it. Okay, Mississippi.
00:01:38
Speaker 2: Yeah. So let's get into this. So yes, we're talking about one-year-old Cohen Wiley. Look him up. Google his name. And there are videos and pictures of this sweet, innocent little boy who was shot and killed in his mother's lap four months ago. So there was a four-month investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. This shooting happened on June 14th in Senatobia, Mississippi, at a Walmart parking lot. It's about 40 miles south of Memphis, an area you know very well, my love.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, Mississippi, the Mississippi Delta, that old area, West Helena, Terrell, Arkansas, Crawfordsville. Yeah, all this stuff up and down, that's the Delta. It's one of the poorest... Areas of the country historically. So yes, grew up in that area. Folk grew up in that area. Granddaddy, grandmama, everybody.
00:02:29
Speaker 2: Your family's from that area.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Know it all up and down. And I've been taught since a kid that some places don't be going and driving in Mississippi at certain hours.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: So how this all unfolded, police get a call that they have shoplifting suspects, two women accused of stealing a box of diapers.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: All right, you hardened criminals, let's go get them. Yep.
00:02:50
Speaker 2: So they are now running to their car. They're backing out of this parking space.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: Now you used the word running. It sounded like people were fleeing.
00:02:59
Speaker 2: That is what police are claiming. This is, I should state that. This is in the police report that they were seen fleeing, getting into their vehicle and And then, according to police reports, they say the driver drove towards the officers, quote, almost striking one.
00:03:16
Speaker 1: That was the original story we got from the beginning, right?
00:03:19
Speaker 2: Correct. Now, there is video that has been taken by bystanders. They don't show the actual shooting, but what reporters have been able to see, and this is how it's been described, at least five officers surrounding a moving vehicle. There has been no body camera footage released to date. And that is something that should be fully noted. And yes, we are- What's the.
00:03:45
Speaker 1: Point of the body cameras?
00:03:47
Speaker 2: Why do we have- Yeah, the whole point is transparency.
00:03:50
Speaker 1: So what's the point?
00:03:51
Speaker 2: So if you don't show the video- then the whole point of the body camera becomes null.
00:03:57
Speaker 1: Because- Just don't wear them then if you're going to do this. What's the point of having it and not showing? Now you're confirming you're covering something up.
00:04:03
Speaker 2: And if you have just done a four-month investigation and you have determined that the officers acted correctly, then by all means, show us the body camera footage. That will put this all to rest. If we see a car speeding towards an officer, and that officer, you can see it from his vantage point that he had to fire in order to save his life. Let's see it.
00:04:27
Speaker 1: We are all open to that possibility. Absolutely. And he had to take the action that he took. We are listening now. But we're not just going to take your word for it, Mississippi. Come on now.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we, yes, if you've got a body camera and you've got video to accompany to back up your decision, Lynn Fitch, who is the attorney general who made this announcement, then let's see it. So, yes, she said there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct and she found that the use of force was justified.
00:04:58
Speaker 1: That's a hard thing to say out loud, man. There was a cop who shot a one-year-old and it was okay to do so. That is just tough to hear. And the statement they put out was an FU to the community, it was an FU to the family. They didn't explain anything, didn't say anything, didn't go into any detail. It was justified. See you guys next week. And moving on, and the family still saying they ain't heard from the state. They hadn't heard from any of these investigators. Robes, we are open to the possibility that this officer did this. But this is the point, Robes. Transparency. What's the point of any of this? No, you're Mississippi. Every day we just see the Attorney General. Okay, I know what you're thinking, but just give us a second. I understand, and we are trying our best. We know the history and how the community feels. Robes, they are just perpetuating that thing. They're letting us know in 2026 ain't a damn thing changed. That's what they're telling us. I'm not saying this cop is guilty, but I'm saying... prosecutors and the state are sure acting like there's something they don't want us to know or want us to see.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: I would fully agree with that. And the New York Times was able to find this officer's name, Officer Hunter Foster. He was placed on leave during the investigation. And the reason why they know this is the officer who fired the fatal shot is that he was the only officer who was on the scene that day who was placed on leave. So we're talking about 33-year-old Hunter Foster, a former member of the U.S. Army National Guard.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: That's a hell of a response, ain't it, for a shoplifting call at Walmart? Five cops?
00:06:34
Speaker 2: Five police officers.
00:06:35
Speaker 1: It might have been a slow day or whatever else. For a box of diapers. Isn't that crazy? Just to think about that. Hmm. They got there pretty quick. Small town, I guess. Not much going on. Shoplifting. Let's get there. Got a big one today, boys. Bros, how you come in hot to a shoplifting call at Wal-Mart?
00:07:02
Speaker 2: I would totally agree. That seems like a very large show of force for two women accused of stealing a box of diapers carrying a one-year-old. So Hunter Foster, also the son of a longtime law enforcement officer. So he has deep roots in the law enforcement community as a police officer. Also should mention he won a state award two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024, for issuing the most DUI citations of any law enforcement officer in the state of Mississippi.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: So he.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: All right. So get this. Last year, twice accused of directing racially offensive language towards his coworkers, referring to a black officer with an expletive. There was no disciplinary action in either case from the the now former police chief. So this police chief in charge of this police division in Mississippi said, you know what? I'm not going to discipline him, even though he has two accusations. But guess what? Just last month in September, that same police chief, his name is Harold Vanderford, was fired after the New York Times and other local outlets revealed that he routinely used racist slurs in private texts with colleagues. So the police chief, who decided not to bring any disciplinary action against this officer for using racially expletive terms, just got fired for using racially expletive terms.
00:08:37
Speaker 1: So yeah, why would he discipline his own officer for using the same words, same language, same behavior? I mean, he's... What's that line? I learned it from watching you. Yeah, they're all. He's setting the example as the chief. So there's a black boy, one-year-old, killed by a white officer who fired into a car that we are not sure which direction it was going. And the person in charge of justice for that one-year-old black boy in that investigation is a guy who's dropping the N-word left and right.
00:09:12
Speaker 2: How does that feel?
00:09:14
Speaker 1: Welcome to Mississippi. This is normal. And I know folks in Mississippi might be, you know what? If you're offended in Mississippi, you are confused. Most people listening who are from there, white or black or other, yeah, we get it. And we get that we deserve some of that history. We know everybody in Mississippi is not like this. But, Robes, we are this time after time and case after case. Robes, I think I'm picturing Cohen's face right now and the idea, Robes. What was happening in that parking lot? Robes, if you shoot a gun and a one-year-old dies, you have got to explain that situation. They have to, baby.
00:09:59
Speaker 2: The community deserves that. His mother deserves that. His grandmother deserves that.
00:10:05
Speaker 1: Rose, the AG said nothing to see here and went about her day.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: There was no apology to the family. There was no acknowledgement of the tragedy.
00:10:13
Speaker 1: Of pain, yes.
00:10:14
Speaker 2: It was void of all of that, and it was appalling, babe. It was appalling. When we come back, we are going to tell you what mom said, what grandma said, and yes, what Ben Crump had to say about the Attorney General's decision. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are learning now, after a four-month investigation, the state of Mississippi says nothing to see here. Force was justified in killing a one-year-old little boy who was literally on the lap of his mother in a moving vehicle. His name is Cohen Wiley. His mother's name is Valicia Wiley. And she and her friend, the driver Latoya Farrell, who was also critically injured, by the way, in this shooting, were never arrested, never charged, and were not interviewed once in this four-month investigation. How does that sound? The mother and the driver who were there, they say that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation never once interviewed. asked them a question while they were investigating what happened in that Walmart parking lot. How is that possible?
00:11:43
Speaker 1: I'm just going back to Mississippi. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm from Arkansas. I apologize to the good people of Mississippi. I know there are plenty of you there. But I'm just, I'm not, I don't even know if my heart rate's up right now. It's like, here we go again. Like, I'm exhausted. You grow up there, Robes, and you hear from friends and and uncles, and dads, and granddads, and extended family of your friend. You hear these stories of how they came up their whole lives. Countless stories of interactions with police down that area of some way, some form. To the point I got in trouble. I say not in trouble, but I got stopped once and called a lawyer and it was an illegal traffic stop. And I told him I was going crazy on the phone. Rose, when I stopped talking, He said, just be glad you made it home. He was calm and chill, a brother from the South. He's actually from Alabama.
00:12:39
Speaker 2: That is chilling.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: Like, shut up. What are you arguing about? You made it home alive after a cop interaction in the South. Congratulations, TJ. When are we getting drinks again? And moved on. Bro, it's just, I know folks think it's always about race and that we are living a different experience in this country sometimes, babe. And when you see the lights come in your direction, you might think help is on the way. That's true.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: I would.
00:13:02
Speaker 1: And we see it and we think, oh, shit. Yep. What is this going to be? And Robes, this is how, as plain as day, you think this is a coincidence, a weird story? This is an anomaly. That the police chief in charge, after a black boy is shot and killed by a cop, he happens, he was fired. How many months later? Three?
00:13:20
Speaker 2: Yes, three months later. Literally last month in September, he was fired.
00:13:24
Speaker 1: Inward, repeatedly.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: And probably the only reason why he was is because the New York Times said, Yes. Uncovered these texts. It would never have risen to the level of him losing his job.
00:13:37
Speaker 1: And I didn't see how long he was possibly police chief down there. But I think he's a new guy.
00:13:43
Speaker 2: No, I do not. I do not.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: Or has he had influence in that community and in that police department for a long time?
00:13:50
Speaker 2: In that police department.
00:13:51
Speaker 1: And on that community for a long time.
00:13:53
Speaker 2: My goodness. And so, by the way, Belicia Wiley says they did not shoplift. And to her point... Again, never charged. She says police were on the right and that they were driving towards the left. She talked about holding her baby up to show the police he was in the car. I mean, she was trying to say, please don't shoot.
00:14:12
Speaker 1: Didn't they show where the bullets entered the vehicle? Couldn't have been straight on.
00:14:17
Speaker 2: Ben Crump held a presser back in July, and look, you may think what you think about him, but in this one, releasing the preliminary autopsy report of Little Cohen, they showed the bullet was fired through the side of the car. Where the bullet entered his body was through his side, which means that it was impossible. It was forensically, logistically impossible to for the cop to have been shooting through the front of the car, which is what you would expect if he thinks or he's claiming he was about to be hit by the car, that his only option was to shoot the car, to shoot at the car because the car was coming towards him. If he shot from the side, that story doesn't add up.
00:14:54
Speaker 1: But Robes, can't you, the car has bullet holes in it. Where are they? The front of the car, the side of the car, because it was my understanding from Ben Crump that they were entered, like you just said.
00:15:05
Speaker 2: From the side.
00:15:06
Speaker 1: From the side. Ropes, there's body cam footage. Ropes, if you are on the up and up on the side of the prosecutors, right, there are two ways to prove your point. One, obviously, you released the body cam video. Two, you charged those women with shoplifting. Like, we were here for a legit reason, and they had a legit reason to run. Because they had stolen items on them.
00:15:31
Speaker 2: What?
00:15:32
Speaker 1: Where are they? Wouldn't that be the first thing?
00:15:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, where's the receipt?
00:15:36
Speaker 1: We were after criminals.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: They were in the self-checkout lane.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: And this is why they were fleeing is because, look, they were stealing something and we are charging them with shoplifting.
00:15:45
Speaker 2: Mom says they were in the self-checkout line and they paid. There's a receipt or there isn't. There's a credit card receipt to back it up, period. So this is really easy to try and figure out. So if they weren't charged... That does speak volumes, guys. Think about that. Imagine being wrongfully accused of shoplifting. You're in the self-checkout. Someone thinks you didn't pay, but you did. And now your one-year-old is dead. And this really hit me because the New York Times called the mom. They don't even have a quote from her. What they reported was when they called her, She wept on the phone after the announcement that no one would be held accountable. And I know this isn't going to shock you, but her lawyer, his name is Martin Zumach, this is what he said. The decision was, quote, expected and overdue.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Wait, whose lawyer?
00:16:39
Speaker 2: Her lawyer, Martin Zumach. This is the mom's lawyer. And he said the decision was expected and overdue. They knew this is what was going to happen. They knew this was going to be the result. And the grandma, her name is Veronica Robinson. This is the one that you were referencing in the beginning. She learned about the attorney general's decision on Facebook. No state, no local law enforcement, no one from the state of Mississippi reached out to the family whatsoever to discuss the outcome of this investigation. How is that possible?
00:17:16
Speaker 1: I mean, Are we surprised by that either?
00:17:19
Speaker 2: But that just says, like you said, a big F you. We don't care. Now, Ben Crump, I thought, you know, look, this is what we've been saying. How can anyone accept that conclusion when Cohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body camera footage? If the footage supports the state's decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth. Who knows if that will ever happen? What are you looking up right now?
00:17:48
Speaker 1: No, I was looking at, I was confirming. And for clarity and a little confusing, I'm sorry, but Zumach is the attorney for Mr. Foster. Oh, my apologies. That's why it sounded weird. Oh, my apologies. He was saying that decision is overdue because we're sitting around waiting to clear him because he's been arguing.
00:18:03
Speaker 2: The whole time. That was a big mistake for me.
00:18:05
Speaker 1: Sorry, sorry, sorry. I was looking, but you were sure. I thought, yes.
00:18:09
Speaker 2: So the officers, like, yes, we finally get our.
00:18:15
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:18:16
Speaker 2: Our clearance that our guy, the officer in question, Hunter Foster, did nothing wrong.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: And he's saying like, what took you so long? Like even that.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Wow.
00:18:26
Speaker 1: Everything here is just. And the reason I react, you saw my face because I was looking up and this is what popped up. That's what popped up.
00:18:34
Speaker 2: The little picture of.
00:18:36
Speaker 1: They have him that is just as sweet and cute as precious as a picture you will see of a child.
00:18:41
Speaker 2: Yes, and there's a video in the New York Times of him playing with a water, like a little hose. And you just, it actually breaks your heart because you can see these headlines. And yes, it's obviously gutting to hear a one-year-old was shot by a police officer, but to actually put a face... and a personality behind that. And then to know that his mother, when she was asked for a comment by the New York Times, couldn't even speak. She was crying. That pain is real. It will never go away. And the idea that anyone could say that's justified is really a tough pill to swallow.
00:19:20
Speaker 1: You know what, babe? We are all willing and open to listen, and the law is complicated, and police officers have a very difficult job. We're willing to listen to that. That's not, the conclusion is not the issue. Robes, how you got to it and how you're treating us along the way is a problem. And you're telling us there's no other conclusion, no other assumption to make other than you're hiding something from us. And if you don't care that a one-year-old black boy in Mississippi was shot and killed by an officer that you won't even explain, if you don't understand why that matters, you shouldn't be in office. One, but Robes, they know this matters. They just don't care. They know this is ginormous. You have to answer the community on this, babe. You put your arm around the community as a white attorney general. and make things better. You don't just immediately go run and protect a white cop who shot a one-year-old black boy and just tell us nothing to see. Robes, that's the statement they put out. There is no explainer. There is nothing. Even though in the Nolan Wells case, she put out a 15-minute statement, even if you didn't like her video. She at least was trying to explain something. The grand jury, they at least tried. They didn't put this before grand jury. They didn't anything here, babe.
00:20:36
Speaker 2: So, Do you think we'll ever see the body cam footage?
00:20:41
Speaker 1: I would say no. Does it exist? Is it being deleted as we record this? Robes, they are... I'm not saying they're hiding something. Their behavior leads you to believe they are. Not releasing a body cam of a guy you said is innocent doesn't make sense.
00:21:01
Speaker 2: It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Not charging those two women is... if they indeed were shoplifting, doesn't make any sense. So, look, we don't know if this is the end of it. We're hearing from, obviously, the family's attorneys that it's not. But we will, of course, if there is an update, my God, if any footage is actually released, we will certainly keep you up to date.
00:21:24
Speaker 1: And, right, babe, they haven't alluded to or suggested at all, it's coming or we're going through. They've never said it yet.
00:21:28
Speaker 2: Literally crickets, crickets on that. But with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes.
00:21:37
Speaker 1: We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Tuesday, October 20th, and a major update on a case the country really has been watching. A one-year-old black boy shot and killed by a white officer who was firing into a vehicle. Well, prosecutors now say that shooting was justified. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. Where did this incident take place?
00:00:29
Speaker 2: In Mississippi.
00:00:31
Speaker 1: So you see where we're going, you see what this is. Robes, here we go.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: But this story gets even more outrageous when you get into the details. The New York Times actually goes into this officer's history. Wait for it. We will tell you what this investigation showed.
00:00:51
Speaker 1: Robes, there are black folks listening. They're like, yeah, we know what it shows. You don't have to continue the story.
00:00:57
Speaker 2: Right?
00:00:57
Speaker 1: Isn't that crazy? This isn't shocking this isn't wild this isn't crazy this is normal this is normal stuff to hear that a cop several cops behind the scenes are dropping in words left and right and these are the folks who are supposed to be getting justice for the black folks who are getting harmed in that community.
00:01:16
Speaker 2: Babe the police chief just got fired.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: Last month nobody no nothing surprising nothing that they got caught maybe that something was done about it. This is wild. And this is Mississippi. And this is why Nolan Wells, some folks just can't let it go. That could be totally, we just can't just take our word for it. Okay, Mississippi.
00:01:38
Speaker 2: Yeah. So let's get into this. So yes, we're talking about one-year-old Cohen Wiley. Look him up. Google his name. And there are videos and pictures of this sweet, innocent little boy who was shot and killed in his mother's lap four months ago. So there was a four-month investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. This shooting happened on June 14th in Senatobia, Mississippi, at a Walmart parking lot. It's about 40 miles south of Memphis, an area you know very well, my love.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, Mississippi, the Mississippi Delta, that old area, West Helena, Terrell, Arkansas, Crawfordsville. Yeah, all this stuff up and down, that's the Delta. It's one of the poorest... Areas of the country historically. So yes, grew up in that area. Folk grew up in that area. Granddaddy, grandmama, everybody.
00:02:29
Speaker 2: Your family's from that area.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Know it all up and down. And I've been taught since a kid that some places don't be going and driving in Mississippi at certain hours.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: So how this all unfolded, police get a call that they have shoplifting suspects, two women accused of stealing a box of diapers.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: All right, you hardened criminals, let's go get them. Yep.
00:02:50
Speaker 2: So they are now running to their car. They're backing out of this parking space.
00:02:57
Speaker 1: Now you used the word running. It sounded like people were fleeing.
00:02:59
Speaker 2: That is what police are claiming. This is, I should state that. This is in the police report that they were seen fleeing, getting into their vehicle and And then, according to police reports, they say the driver drove towards the officers, quote, almost striking one.
00:03:16
Speaker 1: That was the original story we got from the beginning, right?
00:03:19
Speaker 2: Correct. Now, there is video that has been taken by bystanders. They don't show the actual shooting, but what reporters have been able to see, and this is how it's been described, at least five officers surrounding a moving vehicle. There has been no body camera footage released to date. And that is something that should be fully noted. And yes, we are- What's the.
00:03:45
Speaker 1: Point of the body cameras?
00:03:47
Speaker 2: Why do we have- Yeah, the whole point is transparency.
00:03:50
Speaker 1: So what's the point?
00:03:51
Speaker 2: So if you don't show the video- then the whole point of the body camera becomes null.
00:03:57
Speaker 1: Because- Just don't wear them then if you're going to do this. What's the point of having it and not showing? Now you're confirming you're covering something up.
00:04:03
Speaker 2: And if you have just done a four-month investigation and you have determined that the officers acted correctly, then by all means, show us the body camera footage. That will put this all to rest. If we see a car speeding towards an officer, and that officer, you can see it from his vantage point that he had to fire in order to save his life. Let's see it.
00:04:27
Speaker 1: We are all open to that possibility. Absolutely. And he had to take the action that he took. We are listening now. But we're not just going to take your word for it, Mississippi. Come on now.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we, yes, if you've got a body camera and you've got video to accompany to back up your decision, Lynn Fitch, who is the attorney general who made this announcement, then let's see it. So, yes, she said there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct and she found that the use of force was justified.
00:04:58
Speaker 1: That's a hard thing to say out loud, man. There was a cop who shot a one-year-old and it was okay to do so. That is just tough to hear. And the statement they put out was an FU to the community, it was an FU to the family. They didn't explain anything, didn't say anything, didn't go into any detail. It was justified. See you guys next week. And moving on, and the family still saying they ain't heard from the state. They hadn't heard from any of these investigators. Robes, we are open to the possibility that this officer did this. But this is the point, Robes. Transparency. What's the point of any of this? No, you're Mississippi. Every day we just see the Attorney General. Okay, I know what you're thinking, but just give us a second. I understand, and we are trying our best. We know the history and how the community feels. Robes, they are just perpetuating that thing. They're letting us know in 2026 ain't a damn thing changed. That's what they're telling us. I'm not saying this cop is guilty, but I'm saying... prosecutors and the state are sure acting like there's something they don't want us to know or want us to see.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: I would fully agree with that. And the New York Times was able to find this officer's name, Officer Hunter Foster. He was placed on leave during the investigation. And the reason why they know this is the officer who fired the fatal shot is that he was the only officer who was on the scene that day who was placed on leave. So we're talking about 33-year-old Hunter Foster, a former member of the U.S. Army National Guard.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: That's a hell of a response, ain't it, for a shoplifting call at Walmart? Five cops?
00:06:34
Speaker 2: Five police officers.
00:06:35
Speaker 1: It might have been a slow day or whatever else. For a box of diapers. Isn't that crazy? Just to think about that. Hmm. They got there pretty quick. Small town, I guess. Not much going on. Shoplifting. Let's get there. Got a big one today, boys. Bros, how you come in hot to a shoplifting call at Wal-Mart?
00:07:02
Speaker 2: I would totally agree. That seems like a very large show of force for two women accused of stealing a box of diapers carrying a one-year-old. So Hunter Foster, also the son of a longtime law enforcement officer. So he has deep roots in the law enforcement community as a police officer. Also should mention he won a state award two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024, for issuing the most DUI citations of any law enforcement officer in the state of Mississippi.
00:07:29
Speaker 1: So he.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: All right. So get this. Last year, twice accused of directing racially offensive language towards his coworkers, referring to a black officer with an expletive. There was no disciplinary action in either case from the the now former police chief. So this police chief in charge of this police division in Mississippi said, you know what? I'm not going to discipline him, even though he has two accusations. But guess what? Just last month in September, that same police chief, his name is Harold Vanderford, was fired after the New York Times and other local outlets revealed that he routinely used racist slurs in private texts with colleagues. So the police chief, who decided not to bring any disciplinary action against this officer for using racially expletive terms, just got fired for using racially expletive terms.
00:08:37
Speaker 1: So yeah, why would he discipline his own officer for using the same words, same language, same behavior? I mean, he's... What's that line? I learned it from watching you. Yeah, they're all. He's setting the example as the chief. So there's a black boy, one-year-old, killed by a white officer who fired into a car that we are not sure which direction it was going. And the person in charge of justice for that one-year-old black boy in that investigation is a guy who's dropping the N-word left and right.
00:09:12
Speaker 2: How does that feel?
00:09:14
Speaker 1: Welcome to Mississippi. This is normal. And I know folks in Mississippi might be, you know what? If you're offended in Mississippi, you are confused. Most people listening who are from there, white or black or other, yeah, we get it. And we get that we deserve some of that history. We know everybody in Mississippi is not like this. But, Robes, we are this time after time and case after case. Robes, I think I'm picturing Cohen's face right now and the idea, Robes. What was happening in that parking lot? Robes, if you shoot a gun and a one-year-old dies, you have got to explain that situation. They have to, baby.
00:09:59
Speaker 2: The community deserves that. His mother deserves that. His grandmother deserves that.
00:10:05
Speaker 1: Rose, the AG said nothing to see here and went about her day.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: There was no apology to the family. There was no acknowledgement of the tragedy.
00:10:13
Speaker 1: Of pain, yes.
00:10:14
Speaker 2: It was void of all of that, and it was appalling, babe. It was appalling. When we come back, we are going to tell you what mom said, what grandma said, and yes, what Ben Crump had to say about the Attorney General's decision. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. We are learning now, after a four-month investigation, the state of Mississippi says nothing to see here. Force was justified in killing a one-year-old little boy who was literally on the lap of his mother in a moving vehicle. His name is Cohen Wiley. His mother's name is Valicia Wiley. And she and her friend, the driver Latoya Farrell, who was also critically injured, by the way, in this shooting, were never arrested, never charged, and were not interviewed once in this four-month investigation. How does that sound? The mother and the driver who were there, they say that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation never once interviewed. asked them a question while they were investigating what happened in that Walmart parking lot. How is that possible?
00:11:43
Speaker 1: I'm just going back to Mississippi. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm from Arkansas. I apologize to the good people of Mississippi. I know there are plenty of you there. But I'm just, I'm not, I don't even know if my heart rate's up right now. It's like, here we go again. Like, I'm exhausted. You grow up there, Robes, and you hear from friends and and uncles, and dads, and granddads, and extended family of your friend. You hear these stories of how they came up their whole lives. Countless stories of interactions with police down that area of some way, some form. To the point I got in trouble. I say not in trouble, but I got stopped once and called a lawyer and it was an illegal traffic stop. And I told him I was going crazy on the phone. Rose, when I stopped talking, He said, just be glad you made it home. He was calm and chill, a brother from the South. He's actually from Alabama.
00:12:39
Speaker 2: That is chilling.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: Like, shut up. What are you arguing about? You made it home alive after a cop interaction in the South. Congratulations, TJ. When are we getting drinks again? And moved on. Bro, it's just, I know folks think it's always about race and that we are living a different experience in this country sometimes, babe. And when you see the lights come in your direction, you might think help is on the way. That's true.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: I would.
00:13:02
Speaker 1: And we see it and we think, oh, shit. Yep. What is this going to be? And Robes, this is how, as plain as day, you think this is a coincidence, a weird story? This is an anomaly. That the police chief in charge, after a black boy is shot and killed by a cop, he happens, he was fired. How many months later? Three?
00:13:20
Speaker 2: Yes, three months later. Literally last month in September, he was fired.
00:13:24
Speaker 1: Inward, repeatedly.
00:13:26
Speaker 2: And probably the only reason why he was is because the New York Times said, Yes. Uncovered these texts. It would never have risen to the level of him losing his job.
00:13:37
Speaker 1: And I didn't see how long he was possibly police chief down there. But I think he's a new guy.
00:13:43
Speaker 2: No, I do not. I do not.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: Or has he had influence in that community and in that police department for a long time?
00:13:50
Speaker 2: In that police department.
00:13:51
Speaker 1: And on that community for a long time.
00:13:53
Speaker 2: My goodness. And so, by the way, Belicia Wiley says they did not shoplift. And to her point... Again, never charged. She says police were on the right and that they were driving towards the left. She talked about holding her baby up to show the police he was in the car. I mean, she was trying to say, please don't shoot.
00:14:12
Speaker 1: Didn't they show where the bullets entered the vehicle? Couldn't have been straight on.
00:14:17
Speaker 2: Ben Crump held a presser back in July, and look, you may think what you think about him, but in this one, releasing the preliminary autopsy report of Little Cohen, they showed the bullet was fired through the side of the car. Where the bullet entered his body was through his side, which means that it was impossible. It was forensically, logistically impossible to for the cop to have been shooting through the front of the car, which is what you would expect if he thinks or he's claiming he was about to be hit by the car, that his only option was to shoot the car, to shoot at the car because the car was coming towards him. If he shot from the side, that story doesn't add up.
00:14:54
Speaker 1: But Robes, can't you, the car has bullet holes in it. Where are they? The front of the car, the side of the car, because it was my understanding from Ben Crump that they were entered, like you just said.
00:15:05
Speaker 2: From the side.
00:15:06
Speaker 1: From the side. Ropes, there's body cam footage. Ropes, if you are on the up and up on the side of the prosecutors, right, there are two ways to prove your point. One, obviously, you released the body cam video. Two, you charged those women with shoplifting. Like, we were here for a legit reason, and they had a legit reason to run. Because they had stolen items on them.
00:15:31
Speaker 2: What?
00:15:32
Speaker 1: Where are they? Wouldn't that be the first thing?
00:15:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, where's the receipt?
00:15:36
Speaker 1: We were after criminals.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: They were in the self-checkout lane.
00:15:38
Speaker 1: And this is why they were fleeing is because, look, they were stealing something and we are charging them with shoplifting.
00:15:45
Speaker 2: Mom says they were in the self-checkout line and they paid. There's a receipt or there isn't. There's a credit card receipt to back it up, period. So this is really easy to try and figure out. So if they weren't charged... That does speak volumes, guys. Think about that. Imagine being wrongfully accused of shoplifting. You're in the self-checkout. Someone thinks you didn't pay, but you did. And now your one-year-old is dead. And this really hit me because the New York Times called the mom. They don't even have a quote from her. What they reported was when they called her, She wept on the phone after the announcement that no one would be held accountable. And I know this isn't going to shock you, but her lawyer, his name is Martin Zumach, this is what he said. The decision was, quote, expected and overdue.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Wait, whose lawyer?
00:16:39
Speaker 2: Her lawyer, Martin Zumach. This is the mom's lawyer. And he said the decision was expected and overdue. They knew this is what was going to happen. They knew this was going to be the result. And the grandma, her name is Veronica Robinson. This is the one that you were referencing in the beginning. She learned about the attorney general's decision on Facebook. No state, no local law enforcement, no one from the state of Mississippi reached out to the family whatsoever to discuss the outcome of this investigation. How is that possible?
00:17:16
Speaker 1: I mean, Are we surprised by that either?
00:17:19
Speaker 2: But that just says, like you said, a big F you. We don't care. Now, Ben Crump, I thought, you know, look, this is what we've been saying. How can anyone accept that conclusion when Cohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body camera footage? If the footage supports the state's decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth. Who knows if that will ever happen? What are you looking up right now?
00:17:48
Speaker 1: No, I was looking at, I was confirming. And for clarity and a little confusing, I'm sorry, but Zumach is the attorney for Mr. Foster. Oh, my apologies. That's why it sounded weird. Oh, my apologies. He was saying that decision is overdue because we're sitting around waiting to clear him because he's been arguing.
00:18:03
Speaker 2: The whole time. That was a big mistake for me.
00:18:05
Speaker 1: Sorry, sorry, sorry. I was looking, but you were sure. I thought, yes.
00:18:09
Speaker 2: So the officers, like, yes, we finally get our.
00:18:15
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:18:16
Speaker 2: Our clearance that our guy, the officer in question, Hunter Foster, did nothing wrong.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: And he's saying like, what took you so long? Like even that.
00:18:26
Speaker 2: Wow.
00:18:26
Speaker 1: Everything here is just. And the reason I react, you saw my face because I was looking up and this is what popped up. That's what popped up.
00:18:34
Speaker 2: The little picture of.
00:18:36
Speaker 1: They have him that is just as sweet and cute as precious as a picture you will see of a child.
00:18:41
Speaker 2: Yes, and there's a video in the New York Times of him playing with a water, like a little hose. And you just, it actually breaks your heart because you can see these headlines. And yes, it's obviously gutting to hear a one-year-old was shot by a police officer, but to actually put a face... and a personality behind that. And then to know that his mother, when she was asked for a comment by the New York Times, couldn't even speak. She was crying. That pain is real. It will never go away. And the idea that anyone could say that's justified is really a tough pill to swallow.
00:19:20
Speaker 1: You know what, babe? We are all willing and open to listen, and the law is complicated, and police officers have a very difficult job. We're willing to listen to that. That's not, the conclusion is not the issue. Robes, how you got to it and how you're treating us along the way is a problem. And you're telling us there's no other conclusion, no other assumption to make other than you're hiding something from us. And if you don't care that a one-year-old black boy in Mississippi was shot and killed by an officer that you won't even explain, if you don't understand why that matters, you shouldn't be in office. One, but Robes, they know this matters. They just don't care. They know this is ginormous. You have to answer the community on this, babe. You put your arm around the community as a white attorney general. and make things better. You don't just immediately go run and protect a white cop who shot a one-year-old black boy and just tell us nothing to see. Robes, that's the statement they put out. There is no explainer. There is nothing. Even though in the Nolan Wells case, she put out a 15-minute statement, even if you didn't like her video. She at least was trying to explain something. The grand jury, they at least tried. They didn't put this before grand jury. They didn't anything here, babe.
00:20:36
Speaker 2: So, Do you think we'll ever see the body cam footage?
00:20:41
Speaker 1: I would say no. Does it exist? Is it being deleted as we record this? Robes, they are... I'm not saying they're hiding something. Their behavior leads you to believe they are. Not releasing a body cam of a guy you said is innocent doesn't make sense.
00:21:01
Speaker 2: It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Not charging those two women is... if they indeed were shoplifting, doesn't make any sense. So, look, we don't know if this is the end of it. We're hearing from, obviously, the family's attorneys that it's not. But we will, of course, if there is an update, my God, if any footage is actually released, we will certainly keep you up to date.
00:21:24
Speaker 1: And, right, babe, they haven't alluded to or suggested at all, it's coming or we're going through. They've never said it yet.
00:21:28
Speaker 2: Literally crickets, crickets on that. But with that, everyone, we always appreciate you listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes.
00:21:37
Speaker 1: We'll talk soon.