State investigators are reviewing a shooting that began with a reported shoplifting call.
SENATOBIA, Miss. — A child was killed and another person was critically injured Sunday after officers opened fire on a vehicle outside a Walmart in Senatobia, state investigators said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the shooting, which involved the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Office. The case began as a reported shoplifting call at the Walmart off U.S. Highway 51. State agents said the review is still in its early stage, and the account released so far is preliminary.
According to investigators, officers responded to the store Sunday and saw two people and a child leaving in a vehicle. Officers tried to stop the vehicle in the parking lot. The bureau said the driver then drove toward officers and nearly hit one of them. Officers fired as the vehicle left the scene, investigators said.
The people in the vehicle later arrived at a nearby hospital. The child was pronounced dead there, and another person was listed in critical condition. The bureau said no officers were injured. Officials had not released the child’s name, the injured person’s name or the names of the officers involved as of Monday.
Family members gathered outside the hospital and said they were searching for answers about how a shoplifting call ended in gunfire. Carlos Haynes, identified as the child’s grandfather, said, “My grandson gone. I just want justice.” Other relatives questioned why shots were fired in a public parking lot with a child inside the vehicle.
Senatobia police said they were committed to transparency as information is gathered. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said agents are collecting evidence and will send findings to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office when the review is complete. That office is expected to decide what, if any, further action follows.
The investigation remained active Monday. Officials had not announced charges, a public briefing or a timeline for releasing more details.
Author note: Last updated June 15, 2026.