Hunter Foster, the Senatobia, Mississippi police officer who shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in June, has resigned from the department. The Mississippi Attorney General’s office ruled the shooting a “justified” use of force while investigating a reported shoplifting at a Walmart, a decision that prompted the release of bodycam and surveillance footage. The footage shows officers approaching the vehicle as it backed out of a parking space, striking another car, and then accelerating toward them. Foster fired his weapon, hitting the vehicle as it passed, and the child was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation stated officers were responding to a shoplifting report when the incident occurred. However, Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, claims the officer was part of a team investigating an unrelated case of attempted sexual assault on a minor at the store and was told only that the suspects were “running.” Zummach maintains Foster believed no child was in the vehicle and denies any knowledge of the shoplifting allegation. Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, disputes this account, stating she and her friend were leaving the store after briefly being stopped and that the car was already moving when officers approached. Her attorney, Ben Crump, argues the shooting was unjustified given the alleged misdemeanor offense and that the fatal shot came from the side of the vehicle, not directly in front of it.
Footage released by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety corroborates that Foster fired shots from the side of the vehicle as it accelerated past him. Crump asserts that Foster was not in harm’s way when he fired from the side. The resignation, according to Foster’s lawyer, was made “for the good of the city and the police department and to permit the process of healing.” The shooting has sparked outrage in the town, with Black residents voicing long-standing concerns about police harassment.
Our reading is that this situation highlights a deep fracture between official justification and public perception of police actions. While the Attorney General deemed the shooting justified, the release of footage and conflicting accounts from witnesses and the officer’s legal team demonstrate a contested narrative. The resignation of Officer Foster, framed as being “for the good of the city,” appears to be an attempt to mitigate further unrest rather than an admission of wrongdoing.
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