Ben Crump on Law Enforcement

Disputes over the policies, conduct, and oversight of law enforcement agencies.

How we classify topics

Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.

Statement history

3 statements on this page. Dates: January 8, 2026 to October 23, 2026

3 matching statements. Dates: January 8, 2026 to October 23, 2026

3 published statements. Dates: January 8, 2026 to October 23, 2026

Condemned

2 published statements. Dates: October 19, 2026 to October 23, 2026

2 statements on this page. Dates: October 19, 2026 to October 23, 2026

Ben Crump

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

October 23, 2026Condemned

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

Former Senatobia officer who shot Kohen Wiley named in previous lawsuits · WMC Action News 5

Action News 5 reports on two earlier excessive-force lawsuits naming Foster, quotes Ben Crump's statement on Foster's resignation, and quotes Foster's lawyer and a former Shelby County sheriff's lieutenant on the shooting.

Archived copy

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

Ben Crump

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

October 19, 2026Condemned

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 sourcePolice Shooting of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley 'Was Justified,' Mississippi Attorney General Says

The Mississippi Free Press reports the attorney general's finding, describes the June 14 shooting and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation's account, and quotes Ben Crump's statement for the Wiley family.

Archived copy

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

Challenged the characterization

1 published statement. Dates: January 8, 2026

1 statement on this page. Dates: January 8, 2026

Ben Crump

Role at the time: Civil-rights attorney

January 8, 2026Challenged 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 postBen Crump on X about the Keith Porter Jr. shootingOriginal post, January 8, 2026, 7:02 PM Pacific

Crump's own post on X, about a week after the shooting, responding to DHS's self-defense account.

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 statement Was ICE Agent Brian Palacios justified in fatally shooting Keith Porter Jr.?