The Dispute Index

Ben Crump

Portrait of Ben Crump

American civil-rights attorney known for representing families in prominent police-misconduct and discrimination cases.

X (opens in a new tab)Instagram (opens in a new tab)

What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Ben Crump on Criminal Justice Policy, Immigration Policy, and Law Enforcement, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Show all 8 topics

Statements by Ben Crump

Portrait of Ben Crump

Ben Crump

Role at the time: Civil rights lawyer representing Kohen Wiley's family, in a statement to Action News 5

Condemned

Statement summary

Responding to Foster's resignation, Crump says it is not accountability or justice and that turning in a badge does not end Foster's responsibility for Kohen's death.

“Officer Foster's resignation is hardly a step toward accountability, and it is certainly not justice. A badge cannot simply be turned in to escape responsibility for taking the life of an innocent 1-year-old baby.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Former Senatobia officer who shot Kohen Wiley named in previous lawsuits · WMC Action News 5
Why we used this label

The case concerns whether the Senatobia officer was justified in firing into the car, killing Kohen Wiley. Crump says Foster bears responsibility for taking the child's life and that resigning does not amount to accountability, which condemns the shooting.

Read statementMississippi's attorney general finds the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley justified; Ben Crump disputes the finding
Portrait of Ben Crump

Ben Crump

Role at the time: Civil rights lawyer representing Kohen Wiley's family, in a statement

Condemned

Statement summary

Crump questions how anyone can accept the attorney general's finding that the officer's use of force was justified while Kohen's family and the public have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage.

“A 1-year-old baby was shot and killed by a police officer, and now the state of Mississippi says that use of force was justified. How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen's family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body-camera footage?”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Police Shooting of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley 'Was Justified,' Mississippi Attorney General Says
Why we used this label

The case concerns whether the Senatobia officer was justified in firing into the car, killing Kohen Wiley. Crump rejects the state's conclusion that the force was justified and questions how it can be accepted without the footage, which condemns the shooting and the finding.

Read statementMississippi's attorney general finds the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley justified; Ben Crump disputes the finding
Portrait of Ben Crump

Ben Crump

Role at the time: Civil-rights attorney

Condemned

Response to this claim

Loomer’s remarks about Nixon and the other women were racist and misogynistic stereotyping rather than legitimate political criticism.

“Black women should NEVER have to endure such hateful and degrading rhetoric for daring to lead.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Reuters report on criticism of Loomer’s remarksFull report
Why we used this label

Expressly calls the rhetoric hateful and degrading.

Read statementLaura Loomer’s remarks about Angie Nixon and other Black women in politics
Portrait of Ben Crump

Ben Crump

Role at the time: Civil-rights attorney

Challenged the characterization

Statement summary

Civil-rights attorney Ben Crump wrote on X that Porter's family says there is no proof he fired at anyone and that DHS has offered no evidence for its claim that the agent acted in self-defense. He said the family and the community deserve answers.

“DHS claims the agent acted in self-defense but offers no evidence to support that. Keith's family and the community deserve answers as to how this tragedy transpired!”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Ben Crump on X about the Keith Porter Jr. shootingOriginal post, January 8, 2026, 7:02 PM Pacific
Why we used this label

Reference point: whether the off-duty ICE agent was justified in fatally shooting Porter. Crump disputes DHS's self-defense account as unsupported and asks for answers, so we used Challenged the characterization. We did not use Condemned because the post does not itself call the shooting unjustified or wrongful; it questions the evidence behind DHS's description. Evidence: primary, Crump's own post on X.

Read statementWas ICE Agent Brian Palacios justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr.?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Mississippi's attorney general finds the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley justified; Ben Crump disputes the finding

Relationship to this case: Participant

Mississippi's attorney general's office found that the police shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Senatobia Walmart parking lot was justified. Ben Crump, the family's lawyer, disputes the finding and wants a federal investigation; officer Hunter Foster has resigned.

Law EnforcementCriminal Justice PolicyUpdated