Mississippi releases body camera video of police shooting that killed 1-year-old in Senatobia Walmart lot

Footage from police body cameras showing a June shooting that killed a 1-year-old boy outside a Senatobia Walmart has been made public by Mississippi's public safety agency. The video came out after the state Attorney General's office concluded the officer acted lawfully, so no criminal case will be brought against him, WLBT reported.

An incident report obtained by WLBT says Senatobia officers responded to the store on June 14 over a complaint about a man allegedly harassing shoppers sexually. During that call, a worker alerted them that two women were suspected of taking diapers. The officers then hurried outdoors in an effort to keep the pair from leaving by car.

WMC, in a story shared through Gray News, said the video begins with officers in a loss prevention room when an employee breaks in to warn that two women are fleeing. Officers then appear in front of the vehicle, weapons out, shouting for the driver to halt as she reverses from her spot.

Inside were the boy, his mother and his great-aunt behind the wheel, according to WLBT. The outlets describe the next moments differently. WLBT cited investigators who said the driver came close to striking the officer who opened fire, while WMC said the footage shows her hitting an officer, then a parked car, before exiting the lot. The gunfire, shortly after 2 p.m., killed the child. WLBT said the driver and officers later went to a nearby medical center, and that the driver was wounded but has left the hospital.

In the recording, the officer is heard saying he had not noticed a baby on the driver's lap, WLBT reported. The station said neither woman faced a shoplifting charge. Family attorneys say the officer no longer works for the department after resigning.

WMC identified Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office as the one that cleared the officers and said relatives want the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate.

Francis Springer, a lawyer who previously worked in law enforcement, told WLBT he believes the legal threshold was met, saying "using deadly force against deadly force is reasonable." Marquell Bridges, who leads the Building Bridges Coalition, rejected that assessment, telling the station the driver acted out of fear and police could have responded another way.

On Thursday, relatives and their lawyers watched the video together for the first time, WLBT reported. Ben Crump, an attorney for the family, said, "this was excessive from the very start. I mean, they came out with guns drawn for a shoplifting misdemeanor."

Compiled by True News from reporting by WLBT, Alaska's News Source, Hawaii News Now and KWCH 12. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/374