The Mississippi Police Ruling That Should Outrage Everyone

On a recent “GED Section” segment of The D.L. Hughley Show, the comedian and commentator spoke out about a Mississippi prosecutor’s decision that a police officer was justified in shooting a 1-year-old boy. In three minutes, Hughley tied the case to a broader pattern of unanswered deaths, weakened federal oversight, and a warning that accountability may still come.

The Cohen Wiley Case: A Toddler’s Death Ruled Justifiable

Hughley opened with the news that a district attorney had ruled the police shooting of a toddler strapped into a car seat a justifiable homicide. He noted the child would be the youngest person in history killed by police. “If you can shoot an unarmed child in a car seat,” Hughley asked, “what aren’t you allowed to do? What isn’t justifiable?” He stressed that the boy was “incapable of talking, making a decision, being anything but a child.”

Mississippi’s Pattern of Unanswered Deaths

Hughley placed the ruling within a string of recent Mississippi deaths that he said ended without answers. He cited Nolan Wells, a young man found drowned, and four other people who died this year. In each case, he argued, officials signaled the same message: “There’s nothing to see here.” His sharpest line: “Nolan Wells apparently died of nothing. These other people died of nothing.”

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A Department Under Scrutiny

Hughley highlighted troubling details about the police department involved. He said its police chief was fired for racism about a month before the decision. “How racist you got to be to get fired for being a racist?” he asked. He also said the officer who fired the shots has a “dubious past” and has not been publicly named. He added that the family had not yet been allowed to see the video footage when the ruling came down. “None of that matters,” he said, describing how the decision moved forward anyway.

Federal Oversight Weakened

Hughley argued that local officials act with confidence because they expect no federal intervention. He blamed the Trump administration for stripping the power of agencies that once investigated cases like this one. He pointed to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, saying it now has about as much reach as a Kiwanis Club. He also cited the administration’s actions against the Southern Poverty Law Center. “He did this on purpose,” Hughley said.

Hughley closed with a message of resolve. “This administration will not always be in charge,” he said, adding that politicians respond to pressure. He predicted a future administration will reopen these cases. As an example, he pointed to the Ahmaud Arbery case. Hughley said the original district attorney repeatedly declined to bring charges. He noted that outside investigators later stepped in, the men responsible were prosecuted, and the prosecutor herself was charged. “We’re not gonna let this go,” he said.