The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the Senatobia shooting after a shoplifting call ended with a child dead and a woman critically injured.
SENATOBIA, MS — A one-year-old boy was killed Sunday afternoon after an officer fired into a car outside a Walmart during a shoplifting call, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said.
The shooting has placed a north Mississippi police response under state review and left the child’s family demanding answers. The incident involved the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Office at the Walmart Supercenter on U.S. 51. A woman in the car was critically injured. State agents said no officers were hurt.
Authorities said officers and deputies responded to the store after a reported shoplifting shortly before the shooting Sunday afternoon. When they arrived, officers saw two adults and a child leaving the store in a vehicle, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Officers tried to stop the car. Investigators said the driver drove in the direction of officers and almost struck one of them. One officer then fired as the vehicle left the scene. The people inside later arrived at a nearby hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead and another person was treated for critical injuries. “MBI is currently assessing this critical incident and gathering evidence,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency has not released the names of the child, the injured woman, the driver, the officer who fired or the other people involved. Officials also have not said how many shots were fired, where the child was seated in the car or whether any body camera, dash camera or store security video captured the shooting. Investigators have not announced any arrests or charges. Family members who gathered outside the hospital said they were given little information in the hours after the shooting. Carlos Haynes, the child’s grandfather, said, “I don’t know anything right now. My grandson gone. I just want justice.” Carolyn Stokes, the child’s great-grandmother, said relatives knew only that “a car was shot up” and the baby was killed.
The reported call began as a shoplifting complaint at a busy retail store along U.S. 51, a main route through Senatobia in Tate County. Family members said they understood the dispute involved merchandise, including diapers, but officials have not confirmed what items were at issue or whether any stolen property was recovered. Licole Wiley, identified by relatives as the child’s grandmother and the sister of the critically injured woman, questioned why gunfire followed a theft report. She said the baby “was not even a threat.” Lasandra Williams, also identified as the child’s grandmother, said the shooting felt unnecessary based on what relatives had been told.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation handles reviews of shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. In this case, agents said they are gathering evidence and will send their findings to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office when the investigation is complete. The Attorney General’s Office will decide what, if any, further action follows. The Senatobia Police Department said it is investigating and is committed to transparency as information is gathered. The agency did not directly say in its statement whether a Senatobia officer fired the shots. The Tate County Sheriff’s Office also was listed as involved in the response.
The shooting left relatives waiting for updates outside the hospital Sunday night and Monday. Their comments focused on the child, the injured woman and the lack of answers in the first hours after the gunfire. Stokes said relatives were upset that the child’s body was removed before family members saw him. Williams said “everybody that was involved need to be held accountable.” Officials have described the case as active and preliminary, meaning details could change as agents review evidence, interview witnesses and collect records from the scene, the hospital and the responding agencies.
As of Monday, June 15, the state investigation remained open. The next major step is the completion of the MBI review and delivery of findings to the Attorney General’s Office.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.