Mississippi Police Officer Resigns After Shooting Death of 1-Year-Old Boy
Source reports published 24 Oct 2026, 2:50 am – 5:55 am AEST
A police officer who shot and killed a 1-year-old boy in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi, has resigned following a state investigation that deemed his use of force justified. The resignation follows a review of body camera footage and an independent autopsy.
What happened
- Police Sergeant Hunter Foster, 33, resigned after the Mississippi Attorney General's office determined his use of force was justified in the June 14th shooting of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy.
- The incident occurred while Foster and other officers were responding to an unrelated shoplifting call at a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, approximately 65 kilometers south of Memphis, Tennessee.
- According to police reports, officers approached a car backing out of a parking spot, yelling for it to stop when the car moved forward.
- Foster then fired his weapon at the vehicle.
- Body camera footage shows the car reversing and crashing into a parked vehicle before accelerating away.
- The front passenger window shattered, and Kohen Wiley was fatally wounded.
- Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, stated that Foster had ‘no choice’ but to fire his weapon due to the vehicle’s movement.
- However, Ben Crump, attorney for Kohen’s family, disputed this, stating that the fatal shot came from the side of the car.
- An independent autopsy confirmed the same findings.
- The family’s legal team has called for a federal investigation.
- Five officers were present at the scene.
- The driver of the vehicle, who has not been charged, is currently under review.
- District Attorney Jay Hale stated that his office would review the case following the Attorney General’s determination.
- Foster’s resignation follows a previous lawsuit alleging civil rights violations related to a 2019 arrest, which the Southaven Police Department settled for an undisclosed amount.
- Foster previously served with the Southaven and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Offices.