Sgt. Hunter Foster’s resignation marks a Senatobia police resignation that follows the June 14, 2024 shooting that killed 1‑year‑old Kohen Wiley, Mayor Greg Graves announced on Friday.
Foster’s departure ends his service with the Senatobia Police Department but does not answer the family’s demand for justice or close broader gaps in Mississippi’s police‑accountability system. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety says the officer remains certified, and state law provides no mechanism to decertify an officer cleared of criminal charges.
On the afternoon of June 14, Foster responded to a shoplifting tip in a Walmart parking lot. He fired multiple rounds into a moving vehicle, striking the child seated in the back seat. After a months‑long investigation, the Mississippi Attorney General’s office concluded the use of force was justified and declined to file charges. State officials released body‑worn camera footage Thursday that shows the vehicle’s motion and the point at which the officer discharged his weapon.
Family attorney Ben Crump and an independent autopsy dispute the prosecutor’s assessment. Both say forensic evidence indicates the bullet entered from the side of the car, suggesting the officer was not in imminent danger. Police reports cite a Walmart employee’s tip that two women were fleeing the store after taking merchandise, a claim the family rejects.
Foster’s resignation comes amid a pattern of misconduct allegations involving the officer. In 2021 he was sued in federal court for alleged civil‑rights violations during a 2019 arrest in Southaven; the Southaven police department settled the case in 2022. Earlier this year Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was dismissed after racist text messages surfaced, underscoring leadership turbulence within the department.
Mississippi law does not provide a formal decertification mechanism for officers cleared of criminal charges but whose conduct may still be deemed inappropriate. Civil‑rights groups have highlighted this gap, and lawmakers in the Mississippi House have introduced a bill to create an independent review board with authority to suspend or revoke certification. The proposal has not yet advanced.
For the Wiley family, Foster’s departure does not bring closure. The family continues to press for a federal civil‑rights investigation and for the state to consider disciplinary action beyond the resignation. Community leaders and advocacy groups are urging the Attorney General’s office to re‑examine the justification finding in light of the independent autopsy.
State officials say Foster remains eligible for employment with any agency that chooses to hire him. The possibility of his re‑employment has prompted the Mississippi Police Association to pledge a review of its hiring standards, while the Department of Public Safety says it will monitor any future applications.
The case adds pressure on Mississippi legislators, who have faced criticism for lagging behind neighboring states in establishing robust oversight structures. If a decertification framework is adopted, it could reshape how the state handles officers cleared of criminal liability but still implicated in controversial shootings.
A hearing on the proposed decertification bill is expected in the upcoming legislative session. Until then, the Wiley family, local residents and state officials will watch closely whether the resignation translates into substantive policy change or remains an isolated administrative act.