Police officer resigns after shooting dead one-year-old in Mississippi

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 18:03 · Archive

Sergeant Hunter Foster resigned after Mississippi's attorney general cleared him of criminal wrongdoing for fatally shooting one-year-old Kohen Wiley during a Walmart shoplifting call in June.

Sergeant Hunter Foster of the Senatobia police department has resigned following the fatal shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley on 14 June in a Walmart parking lot about forty miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Foster fired into a moving vehicle during a shoplifting call. The child's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, was in the car along with a friend who was driving.

Mississippi's attorney general, Lynn Fitch, announced earlier this week that Foster's use of force was justified. Video footage was released on Thursday showing the shooting from Foster's body camera and surveillance recordings. The shooting resulted in the death of Kohen, who would have turned two in early November, and injured the driver.

Foster's attorney, Martin Zummach, said Foster had no choice but to fire because the vehicle was moving toward him. However, the child's family disputes this account. Ben Crump, an attorney representing Kohen's family, stated the footage demonstrates the fatal shot came from the side of the car, contradicting Foster's justification for firing. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family reached the same conclusion.

Kohen's mother has also disputed that her friend, who was driving, headed toward the officers. Crump called for a federal investigation into the shooting and for Foster to be decertified, which would prevent him serving as a police officer elsewhere. At a press conference, Crump said the shooting was not justified.

The Senatobia board of aldermen accepted Foster's resignation on 21 October, effective immediately. Foster had been placed on leave days after the shooting. The officers had initially been at the Walmart responding to an unrelated incident when a store employee alerted them to two women fleeing the store.

How it is being reported

• Police officer who shot and killed 1-year-old boy in Mississippi has resigned, mayor saysThe police officer who shot and killed a 1-year-old boy in Mississippi when he fired into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call has resigned, the Senatobia mayor said.New York Post · 23 Oct, 17:58
• Officer who shot and killed Black toddler in Mississippi resigns from police forceHunter Foster fired at vehicle during a shoplifting call at a Walmart, killing one-year-old Kohen Wiley Hunter Foster, the Mississippi police officer who shot into a vehicle and killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley, has resigned from the Senatobia police department. Earlier this week, Mississippi’s attorney general, Lynn Fitch, announced that the shooting was “justified”. The Senatobia board of aldermen accepted Foster’s resignation on 21 October and the resignation took effect immediately. Foster was placed on leave on 16 June, days after the 14 June shooting. Yesterday, the Mississippi…Guardian World · 23 Oct, 17:39
• Police officer who fatally shot 1-year-old in car in Mississippi resignsKohen Wiley would have celebrated his second birthday in early NovemberIndependent World · 23 Oct, 17:26

In this story: Kohen Wiley · Hunter Foster · Vellesiya Wiley · Ben Crump · Lynn Fitch · Senatobia · Senatobia police department · Walmart

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