Primary source: Mississippi attorney general statement, Oct. 19, 2026

The Senatobia, Mississippi, police officer who fired the shots that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 has resigned, Mayor Greg Graves said Friday^1,2,3.

Graves told ABC News the board of aldermen accepted Hunter Foster’s resignation on Wednesday, Oct. 21¹. Asked whether Foster was asked to leave, the mayor did not comment¹. Senatobia human-resources clerk Jada Mayer told NBC News the mayor’s office had confirmed the resignation⁴. Family attorneys told Action News 5 that Foster was gone from the force⁵.

Foster’s lawyer, Martin Zummach, told NBC News that Foster resigned for the good of the city and the police department⁴. Zummach said Foster did not know a child was in the front seat and did not know the people leaving the store were suspected of shoplifting⁴. In a statement to CNN, Zummach said the driver was trying to kill the officers and that Foster had no choice³.

The shooting followed a June 14 encounter outside the Senatobia Walmart^1,3. Several outlets said officers and Tate County deputies were already at the store on another call when a worker said two people were running^2,3,4,6. Mississippi Free Press, citing the state’s account, said that first call involved a man harassing customers⁶. Police have described the later pursuit as tied to suspected shoplifting of diapers; Kohen’s mother has disputed that account, and family attorneys said no shoplifting charges were filed^1,3,4.

State-released body-camera video, described by CNN, ABC News and Action News 5, shows officers yelling for a car to stop as it reversed, struck another vehicle, then moved forward before Foster fired^1,3,5. Action News 5 said three shots came from Foster, injuring the driver and killing Kohen, who was on his mother’s lap in the front passenger seat⁵. CNN said other footage captured Foster saying he could not see a baby in the car³.

On Monday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office said the use of force was justified and that it would not prosecute^1,3. CNN quoted Fitch saying there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct to take to a grand jury³. Body-camera video was released Thursday^1,3,5,6.

Civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, said the force was excessive from the start and that officers came out with guns drawn over a shoplifting misdemeanor^3,6. Family lawyers said they want a Justice Department investigation and for Foster to be decertified⁵. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Alex Gibert told The Associated Press on Friday that Foster remained certified as a police officer (AP, via AP News)⁷.

Graves also told ABC News that interim Police Chief Angelica Maze, who was not chief in June, resigned as interim chief and returned to her previous rank, with LaMorris Hampton named the new interim chief¹. Whether federal authorities will open a review was not reported^1,5.

Sources

1. ABC NewsMississippi officer who fatally shot 1-year-old resignsOct 23, 5:23 PM
2. CBS NewsMississippi police officer resigns after shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen WileyOct 23, 1:22 PM
3. CNNMississippi police officer resigns after fatal shooting of Kohen WileyOct 23, 2:34 PM
4. NBC NewsMississippi police officer who fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley has resignedOct 23, 2:37 PM
5. Action News 5Senatobia officer resigns as his body cam video in Kohen Wiley shooting is releasedOct 22, 10:46 PM

Mississippi Free Press · AP NewsShowHide

1. Mississippi Free PressSenatobia Police Officer Who Shot Kohen Wiley Resigns After Release of Bodycam FootageOct 23, 12:00 PM
2. AP NewsPolice officer who shot 1-year-old boy in Mississippi has resignedOct 23, 4:00 PM

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