Mississippi Police Officer Resigns After Shooting That Killed 1-Year-Old Boy

A police officer in Mississippi, United States, who fatally shot a one-year-old boy during an incident in a Walmart parking lot has resigned, following public outrage over the child’s death and renewed calls for accountability.

Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed on Friday, October 23, that Sergeant Hunter Foster had resigned from the city’s police department. The department’s interim police chief, Angelica Maze, also stepped down, according to local officials and media reports.

The incident occurred on June 14, 2026, when officers responded to a shoplifting-related call at a Walmart store in Senatobia, about 65 kilometres south of Memphis, Tennessee. During the encounter, Foster fired at a moving vehicle carrying one-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was being held by his mother, Vellesiya Wiley. The child was fatally struck.

Footage released by Mississippi authorities on Thursday showed officers approaching the vehicle with their weapons drawn after the occupants attempted to leave the parking lot. The car reversed, struck another vehicle and then moved forward as officers ordered the driver to stop. Foster stepped in front of the vehicle and fired several shots, shattering the front passenger-side window.

Authorities said the driver moved the vehicle towards officers, prompting Foster to fire. However, Kohen’s family has disputed that account. Their attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, argued that the footage showed the fatal shot was fired from the side of the vehicle and questioned whether the officer faced an immediate threat.

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office concluded earlier this week that Foster’s use of force was justified and cleared him of criminal wrongdoing. Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, said his client resigned to allow the city and police department to begin healing after the incident.

The child’s family and its legal representatives have continued to demand accountability. Crump has called for a federal investigation by the US Department of Justice, arguing that the officer’s resignation should not end scrutiny of the shooting.

Authorities had alleged that Kohen’s mother and the woman driving the vehicle were involved in the theft of diapers and other items. However, neither woman had been charged, according to reports.

The shooting has also unfolded amid a wider crisis within the Senatobia Police Department. The department’s former chief, Harold Vanderford, was dismissed in September following reports that he had used racist slurs in private text messages.

Although Foster has left the department, reports indicate that he remained certified as a police officer in Mississippi, raising questions about whether he could seek employment with another law enforcement agency.

Kohen would have turned two years old in early November. His death has intensified calls from his family and civil rights advocates for greater transparency and accountability in police use-of-force cases involving children.