Senatobia Officer and Interim Chief Resign After Child’s Death
Qwenews.com – A Mississippi officer and interim police chief have resigned after the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley during a June encounter outside a Senatobia Walmart. Officer Hunter Foster submitted his resignation, while Interim Police Chief Angelica Maze stepped down as chief but will remain with the Senatobia Police Department in another role.
The departures followed the state’s decision not to pursue criminal charges against Foster in the shooting. Kohen was killed after officers and Tate County sheriff’s deputies responded to a suspected shoplifting call on June 14.
Video Shows Rapidly Escalating Walmart Encounter
Surveillance video released by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety shows Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, leaving the Walmart while holding her son and moving toward a vehicle with another woman. Body-camera footage shows officers and deputies heading outside after receiving word that “two girls are running.”
After the women got into the vehicle, a deputy tried to open the driver’s door. Officers ordered the driver to stop as the vehicle backed out, striking another parked car. State officials said the driver then moved toward officers and nearly hit one of them.
Foster, who was positioned near the front passenger side of the vehicle, fired into the car. He later told another law enforcement official that he did not know a baby was inside. The women drove away after the gunfire, and Kohen was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. One woman was critically injured.
Mississippi Attorney General Declines Prosecution
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said her office reviewed the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation’s findings and concluded there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct to present the case to a grand jury.
“After a thorough investigation, into this matter there is insufficient evidence of any criminal conduct to present this case to a grand jury. We are declining prosecution of this matter and will close this case accordingly,” Fitch said.
The decision ended the state’s criminal review, but it did not end public debate over the shooting. The case drew widespread attention because the police response began with a misdemeanor shoplifting allegation and resulted in the death of a 1-year-old child.
Family and Officer’s Attorney Dispute What Happened
Wiley has disputed the assertion that the driver intentionally moved toward officers. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Kohen’s family criticized the state’s conclusion after surveillance and body-camera video were released.
“This was excessive from the very start,” Crump said. “They came out with guns drawn for a shoplifting misdemeanor.”
Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, defended the officer’s actions, saying Foster faced an immediate threat from the vehicle. The conflicting accounts have fueled continuing questions about the decisions made during the fast-moving encounter.
What Happens Next for Senatobia Police?
The Mississippi officer and interim police leadership changes add to a period of instability for the Senatobia Police Department. City officials have not changed the attorney general’s decision, and the state criminal case is closed.
Why did the officer resign? Mayor Greg Graves said Foster submitted his resignation after the attorney general’s decision. The available information does not establish a separate public reason for his departure.
Did the interim police chief leave the department? Maze resigned as interim chief but is expected to continue working for the Senatobia Police Department in another role.
Will there be criminal charges in Kohen Wiley’s death? The Mississippi attorney general said the state would not pursue charges because it found insufficient evidence to take the case before a grand jury.
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