Who is Lynn Fitch? Mississippi’s first-ever attorney general says the officer's ‘use of force’ was ‘justified’ in the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old

The use of force by Mississippi police while responding to a shoplifting call in the city of Senatobia was justified, state attorney general Lynn Fitch said on Monday (October 19, 2026). The incident occurred in June 2026 about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee. A Senatobia officer fired at a moving vehicle that investigators said was driving toward police, claiming the life of a 1-year-old boy who was inside the car. The victim was identified as Kohen Wiley.

Senatobia officers had responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. The officers saw Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen’s mother, carrying her son as she and a friend left the store, got into a car and began driving away.

Police believed that they stole diapers and baby clothes. Kohen’s mother denied all the allegations of theft. Neither of them was charged with shoplifting or any other counts, news agency AP reported, citing online state and county court records. In a short statement, Fitch said, "In this incident, the Attorney General's Office found the use of force was justified," as quoted by MS Now, BBC.

What did Mississippi Bureau of Investigation say in its statement

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation had released a statement shortly after the shooting. In its statement, the bureau claimed that officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the car drove toward law enforcement, AP reported. This prompted an officer to shoot into the car, striking Kohen and his mother’s friend.

Who is Lynn Fitch

Lynn Fitch is currently serving as the 40th Attorney General of Mississippi. She is the first-ever woman attorney general of the state. She was sworn in on January 9, 2020, and was re-elected to her second term in 2023. Fitch was named in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME in 2022. Worth Magazine had named her to its Worthy 100 for her work protecting women and children

After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate at the University of Mississippi, Fitch started her legal career at the age of 23 as a Special Assistant Attorney General at the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.

According to her official website, she has more than 35 years of experience as a legal professional, with her career spanning both private practice and public service. Prior to assuming the role of the state’s chief legal officer, she served as Mississippi’s elected state treasurer for eight years, from January 2012 to January 2020. Before that, she was selected by Governor Barbour to serve as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Personnel Board (MSPB), according to her website.

She also served as Deputy Executive Director at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) and as Counsel for the Mississippi House of Representatives Ways and Means and Local and Private Legislation Committees.