Mississippi officer resigns after fatal shooting of one-year-old boy as family demands federal probe

A Mississippi police officer who fatally shot a one-year-old boy during an encounter outside a Walmart store has resigned, days after state investigators concluded that his use of force was legally justified. Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed on October 23, 2026, that Sgt. Hunter Foster had left the department following the release of body-camera footage showing the June 14 incident that killed Kohen Wiley. The child’s family disputes the state’s findings and is demanding a federal investigation, arguing that the video raises serious questions about whether Foster faced an immediate threat when he fired.

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office cleared Foster of criminal wrongdoing following a months-long investigation. Foster’s lawyer maintains that the officer had no alternative because a vehicle was moving toward him, while the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, contends that the available evidence does not support that justification. The competing positions concern the circumstances in which the officer discharged his weapon rather than whether the child died from the shooting.

The case has become a major public-safety and legal controversy because the victim was an infant seated on his mother’s lap. Foster’s resignation does not overturn the state’s finding, and he remained certified as a police officer according to information provided by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

What happened outside the Walmart store in Senatobia?

Officers were at the Walmart location responding to an unrelated incident when an employee alerted them to two women reportedly leaving the store. Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, was carrying her child as she and another woman entered a vehicle.

Body-camera footage shows several officers approaching the car with their weapons drawn. The vehicle reversed and struck another parked car before moving forward.

Foster was positioned near the front of the vehicle as it began moving. Video reviewed by the Associated Press shows him stepping toward the car, placing his hands near its hood and moving out of the vehicle’s path as he fired.

The bullet entered through the front passenger-side window, where Kohen was sitting on his mother’s lap. The child subsequently died from his injuries.

Why did Mississippi investigators clear the officer?

The state Attorney General’s Office concluded that Foster’s use of force was justified. The determination followed an investigation examining the circumstances surrounding the vehicle’s movement and the officer’s response.

Foster’s attorney has argued that the car presented an imminent danger and that the officer had no choice but to fire. That position relies on the perceived threat to the officer during a rapidly developing confrontation.

The family’s legal representatives disagree with that interpretation. They contend that the video shows Foster was no longer directly in the vehicle’s path when the fatal shot was fired.

The dispute demonstrates why the timing, direction and location of a shot can be central to assessing the use of deadly force. The state’s decision is an official finding, but it does not eliminate the family’s ability to seek further review.

What does the released body-camera footage show?

The footage depicts officers approaching the vehicle, which initially reverses away from them and collides with a parked car. The driver then moves forward while Foster is positioned close to the front of the vehicle.

Foster appears to move out of the car’s path before discharging his firearm. The shot shattered the front passenger window rather than entering through the windshield.

The family’s attorneys argue that this sequence undermines the suggestion that the officer needed to fire to avoid being struck. Foster’s defence maintains that the vehicle posed an immediate threat.

Video evidence can help establish physical movements, but a legal determination may also depend on the officer’s perception and the circumstances known at the time. Those issues remain central to the disagreement over the state’s decision.

Why is Kohen Wiley’s family demanding a federal investigation?

The family believes the state investigation did not adequately address the circumstances of the shooting and the available physical evidence. Their lawyers have called for the federal government to review the incident independently.

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family has been cited by their attorneys as supporting their interpretation of how the fatal shot occurred. Those findings remain separate from the official state investigation.

The family is also requesting that Foster lose his police certification. That would affect his eligibility to serve in law enforcement in Mississippi under applicable rules.

Resignation and decertification are distinct processes. A person may leave one department without automatically losing the professional certification required for employment elsewhere.

What is known about Foster’s earlier employment and legal history?

Foster previously worked with other Mississippi law-enforcement agencies before joining the Senatobia Police Department. Associated Press reporting identified prior employment involving the Southaven Police Department and the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.

He had also been named in an earlier civil-rights lawsuit concerning a 2019 arrest in Southaven. The plaintiffs alleged misconduct, while Foster and other officers denied wrongdoing.

That case was settled in 2022 without an admission of liability. It should therefore not be described as a judicial finding that Foster committed the acts alleged in the complaint.

The earlier litigation provides background about previous complaints, but it does not independently establish whether the June 2026 shooting was legally justified.

What are the key takeaways from the Kohen Wiley case?

• Sgt. Hunter Foster resigned from the Senatobia Police Department after fatally shooting one-year-old Kohen Wiley on June 14.
• Mississippi’s Attorney General’s Office concluded that Foster’s use of force was justified.
• Newly released body-camera footage shows the confrontation outside a Walmart store.
• Foster’s lawyer argues that the moving vehicle posed an immediate threat.
• The child’s family disputes that account and wants a federal investigation.
• Family attorneys are also seeking revocation of Foster’s police certification.
• Foster remained certified following his resignation, according to state officials.

What happens next in the Mississippi police-shooting dispute?

The family’s demand for federal review and decertification represents the next potential stage of the case. Whether either process leads to additional action will depend on the decisions of the relevant authorities.

The most important unresolved question is whether the state investigation’s conclusion will withstand further scrutiny. The fact that Foster has resigned does not settle the legal dispute surrounding the fatal shooting.