Mississippi Police Chief Fired After Racist Text Allegations Following Fatal Shooting of 1-Year-Old

The police chief of a small northern Mississippi city has been fired after a series of controversies surrounding the police department, including the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old Black child and allegations that the chief repeatedly used racist slurs in private text messages.

Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was dismissed Tuesday, September 1, after he submitted a resignation letter earlier in the day. Rather than accept the resignation, the city’s Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to terminate him, according to city officials.

Vanderford’s firing comes amid intense scrutiny of the Senatobia Police Department following the June 14 shooting death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.

Kohen was fatally shot after a Senatobia police officer opened fire on a vehicle in the parking lot of a Walmart while responding to a reported shoplifting incident.

The child was inside the vehicle with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and another woman. Kohen was killed and the other woman was wounded.

The child’s mother has denied that she or her friend stole anything, and authorities have not charged either woman in connection with the reported shoplifting incident. The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigates the shooting.

The shooting sparked protests in Senatobia, with residents and members of Kohen’s family demanding answers, greater transparency and the release of police body-camera and surveillance footage.

Nearly 100 people marched through the city in June, calling for justice and accountability over the child’s death.

The controversy surrounding Vanderford intensified after Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times reported that he had repeatedly used racist slurs in private text conversations with a colleague.

The messages reportedly covered conversations from July 2025 through April 2026; including periods before and after Vanderford became police chief. Investigative reporters said they obtained 10 conversations and independently verified that the phone number associated with the messages belonged to Vanderford.

Vanderford did not respond to repeated requests from the reporters for comment or to confirm or deny that he had sent the messages, according to the investigative outlets.

The revelations placed additional pressure on city officials. Earlier in August, city leaders had said Vanderford would remain chief after meeting with him over the allegations. Days later, however, he was removed from the position.

The fallout has now expanded beyond the chief’s dismissal.

Senatobia Alderman Chris McConnell has called for an independent examination of the police department, including its leadership, internal culture, handling of complaints and misconduct, and financial practices.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Kohen Wiley’s family, described Vanderford’s firing as the right decision and renewed calls for the release of evidence from the toddler’s shooting.

Community activist Patrick Lumumba has also argued that removing individual police chiefs will not be enough if deeper problems within the department remain unresolved. Following Kohen’s death, he helped establish the Senatobia Committee for Accountability and Transparency, a community watchdog group pushing for greater accountability.

The department will temporarily be led by Lt. Angelica Maze, who has been appointed interim police chief.

The latest crisis has revived memories of previous disputes involving Senatobia police.

The department previously faced national attention after the 2023 arrest of a 10-year-old Black boy for public urination. There was also an earlier confrontation involving an officer and a Black woman outside the same Walmart where Kohen was later killed.

For Kohen’s family and protesters, however, the central issue remains the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to examine the June shooting, while calls grow for the release of body-camera and surveillance footage that could shed more light on what happened.

The case has consequently become about more than one police shooting: it has raised broader questions about police accountability, racial tensions, departmental leadership and public trust in Senatobia.