“A Mississippi police officer and interim police chief have resigned, officials said Friday — just days after the state said the officer’s actions were justified in a June shooting that resulted in the death of a 1-year-old boy and led to widespread outrage. The incident unfolded June 14 when Senatobia officers and Tate County deputies”, — write on: www.cnn.com
A Mississippi police officer and interim police chief have resigned, officials said Friday — just days after the state said the officer’s actions were justified in a June shooting that resulted in the death of a 1-year-old boy and led to widespread outrage.
The incident unfolded June 14 when Senatobia officers and Tate County deputies followed Kohen Wiley’s mother and her friend to their car while responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart store. “Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one,” the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said in a statement at the time.
“Stop the car!” officers yell, body camera footage released by DPS Thursday shows. The car continues forward, appearing to move toward at least one of the officers before Hunter Foster, who’s standing in front of the vehicle toward the passenger side, shoots into the car.
Foster, a Senatobia Police officer, later told another law enforcement official he could not see a baby in the car, different bodycam video shows.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch concluded the officer’s use of force was justified, she announced Monday. On Friday, Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves told CNN Foster has resigned. Foster turned in a resignation letter, Senatobia City Clerk Katie Harbin said.
The killing drew national outrage and calls for accountability, becoming the latest in a string of incidents that have eroded trust in police in the small town. Last month, former Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired following reports alleging he used racist slurs in private texts, according to The Associated Press. Interim police chief Angelica Maze resigned but is staying with the department in a different capacity, Harbin said Friday.
Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, on Thursday said he would not comment on Foster’s employment, adding “his exoneration by the Attorney General was expected and overdue.”
“The driver of the vehicle was attempting to kill those 5 officers, and Hunter Foster had no choice but to discharge his weapon,” Zummach told CNN in a statement. “We are very sad for the loss of life.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wiley family, said he will continue calling for answers and accountability despite the officer’s resignation.
“A badge cannot simply be turned in to escape responsibility for taking the life of an innocent 1-year-old baby,” Crump said in a statement Friday. “Kohen Wiley is never coming home to his mother, and no resignation can undo the devastating consequences of that officer’s actions.”
Mississippi district court records show Foster had been named in two lawsuits for alleged civil rights violations and excessive force as a DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an officer with the Southaven Police Department. Both cases have since been dismissed.
Before the shooting around 2 p.m. that Sunday, Kohen’s mother Vellesiya Wiley held him as she and her friend left Walmart and appeared to run to their car, surveillance video released by DPS shows.