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Mississippi Officer Who Killed 1-Year-Old Resigns
· Confirmed
In Short: A Mississippi police officer who fatally shot a 1-year-old boy has resigned following the release of body camera footage.
The resignation of Officer Hunter Foster from the Senatobia Police Department came after body camera footage was released, showing the moments leading up to the shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Walmart parking lot.
According to the footage, Foster and other officers were responding to a shoplifting call when they ran out of Walmart. The incident occurred on June 14, 2026, and Foster fired shots into a moving vehicle where Kohen was inside.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch determined that Foster's use of deadly force was legally permissible under the circumstances described in the state’s investigation. However, attorneys for Wiley’s family are petitioning the Department of Justice to open an investigation.
The body camera footage shows the car backing up and hitting a parked car as officers converged on the vehicle with their guns drawn. Wiley’s mother said she held up her baby to show the officers there was a child inside the vehicle.
The shooting took place while officers were already at the Walmart for an unrelated call. When the women started running to the car, the man went to get the officers.
The mayor of Senatobia confirmed Foster’s resignation to CBS News on Friday, adding that the city will make a decision on any future grand jury presentations once they can fully discuss the case with the investigating agency.
Foster told another officer in body camera footage that he did not see a baby in the vehicle. The mayor stated that open communication and cooperation between residents and law enforcement are essential as they move forward.
The resignation comes after a wave of public outcry and calls for justice for Kohen Wiley. Attorney Van Turner said, “We’re going to petition the Department of Justice to open an investigation to make sure that we get justice for this baby.”
What this adds
The resignation of Officer Foster marks a significant step in the aftermath of the tragic shooting, but the calls for a federal investigation highlight the ongoing concerns surrounding the incident.
What's confirmed
- The Mississippi police officer who fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley has resigned as newly released body camera footage shows the moments leading up to the child’s death in a Walmart parking lot.
- On October 19, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch determined the shooting was “justified,” concluding that Foster’s use of deadly force was legally permissible under the circumstances described in the state’s investigation.
- The Mississippi Department of Public Safety released Foster’s body camera footage Thursday (October 22), documenting the June shooting.
- "Hunter Foster had no choice but to discharge his weapon. We are very sad for the loss of life," Zummach said.
- Officers and Tate County sheriff's deputies responding to the incident were already at the Walmart for an unrelated call.
- One-year-old Kohen Wiley was in the car and died in the shooting.
- The 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 told The Associated Press Friday.
- Officers were at the store for an unrelated incident when an employee alerted them that two women were running from the store.
- He has said Foster had “no choice” but to shoot at the vehicle because it was moving toward him.
- The Mississippi police officer who fired the shot that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley has resigned, a city official told NBC News on Friday.
What's still developing
- "Accountability can't end here. Body camera footage shows how quickly this escalated over an alleged shoplifting call," Crump said on social media.
- "So she was backing up, and she hit a car as I was opening the door, so the door flew back in. By the time I sat my baby down, it was like three to four shots," Wiley said.
- "The board of aldermen accepted his resignation Wednesday October 21st," the mayor said on Friday afternoon.