🔴 LIVE Last updated: September 02, 2026 at 15:48 UTC
Kemetic Minds is tracking every verified development in the case of Kohen Wiley, the 1-year-old killed by a Senatobia, Mississippi police officer on June 14, 2026. This page refreshes automatically as new developments are confirmed — newest update at the top.
‘Get Your Hands Off!’: Video of Mississippi Police Chief Grabbing Man by the Neck Resurfaces as Department Faces Scrutiny Over 1-Year-Old’s Killing
The fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley has renewed scrutiny of the Senatobia Police Department, with residents pointing to previous …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia Police Chief terminated, according to city officials
ABC24 has reached out to city officials for additional information about what led to Vanderford's termination.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired after racist texts surface
Senatobia fired its police chief after racist text messages surfaced as the family of Kohen Wiley continues to seek answers in the 1-year-old's fatal police shooting.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired effective immediately during a Board of Aldermen Meeting on Tuesday. Alderman Chris McConnell told WREG that the board refused to …
Source: Bing News
Here’s how we verified Senatobia Police Chief Vanderford’s racist text messages – DeSoto County News
Here’s how we verified Senatobia Police Chief Vanderford’s racist text messages DeSoto County News
Source: DeSoto County News
Here’s how we verified Senatobia Police Chief Vanderford’s racist text messages – Mississippi Today
Here’s how we verified Senatobia Police Chief Vanderford’s racist text messages Mississippi Today
Source: Mississippi Today
Senatobia police chief resigns after texting scandal
Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has resigned from his position, effective immediately.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has resigned effective immediately, according to Board of Alderman Chris McConnell. It happened during a Board of Aldermen meeting …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired effective immediately during a Board of Aldermen Meeting on Tuesday. Alderman Chris McConnell told WREG that the board refused to …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief resigns following calls for his removal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has resigned effective immediately, according to Board of Alderman Chris McConnell. It happened during a Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired effective immediately during a Board of Aldermen Meeting on Tuesday. Alderman Chris McConnell told WREG that the board refused to …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief resigns after texting scandal
Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has been fired after the Mayor and Board of Aldermen rejected his resignation.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has resigned effective immediately, according to Board of Alderman Chris McConnell. It happened during a Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired following calls for his removal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford has resigned effective immediately, according to Board of Alderman Chris McConnell. It happened during a Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief terminated amid backlash over reported racist text messages
The board of mayor and aldermen stood behind Chief Harold Vanderford then. But not on Tuesday night. Reports in the New York Times and other publications revealed private text messages from …
Source: Bing News
Besieged for sending racist text messages, Mississippi police chief is fired by city leadership
Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation letter to city leaders days after Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times revealed that he had frequently used racist slurs in text messages.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired, board rejects resignation
The City of Senatobia fired Police Chief Harold “Hal” Vanderford after rejecting his resignation at Tuesday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief fired, board rejects resignation
The City of Senatobia fired Police Chief Harold “Hal” Vanderford after rejecting his resignation at Tuesday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
Source: Bing News
Officials in Mississippi City Fire Police Chief Over Racist Texts
Mississippi Today, Verite News and The Times had revealed the chief’s texts as his officers were under scrutiny for the fatal shooting of a Black toddler.
Source: Bing News
Senatobia says they stand behind police chief after reports of racial slurs – WJTV
Senatobia says they stand behind police chief after reports of racial slurs WJTV
Source: WJTV
LIVE: Community leaders address allegations Senatobia’s police chief used racial slur
The Senatobia Committee for Accountability and Transparency (SCAT) will hold a press conference Friday regarding allegations that the Senatobia Police Chief used a racial …
Source: Bing News
Community pressuring Senatobia to remove police chief
SENATOBIA, Miss. — Community leaders continued to pressure the city of Senatobia on Friday regarding allegations that the Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford used racial slurs in more than a …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia community activists demand police chief’s firing after alleged racist texts
The Senatobia Committee of Transparency will hold a press conference today at 1 p.m. addressing allegations that Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford sent text messages containing racial slurs.
Source: Bing News
Community pressuring Senatobia to remove police chief
Community leaders continued to pressure the city of Senatobia on Friday regarding allegations that the Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford used racial slurs in more than a …
Source: Bing News
Calls grow for Senatobia police chief’s removal
SENATOBIA, Miss. — Community leaders continued to pressure the city of Senatobia on Friday regarding allegations that the Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford used racial slurs in more than a …
Source: Bing News
Calls grow for Senatobia police chief’s removal
SENATOBIA, Miss. — Community leaders continued to pressure the city of Senatobia on Friday regarding allegations that the Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford used racial slurs in more than a …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia community activists demand police chief’s firing after alleged racist texts – Action News 5
Senatobia community activists demand police chief’s firing after alleged racist texts Action News 5
Source: Action News 5
Senatobia city leaders stand by police chief following racist text allegations
Senatobia Mayor and Board of Aldermen met with Police Chief Harold Vanderford regarding allegations that he used racist slurs in private texts. City leaders expressed confidence in the chief, calling …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia city leaders stand by police chief following racist text allegations
Senatobia Mayor and Board of Aldermen met with Police Chief Harold Vanderford regarding allegations that he used racist slurs in private texts. City leaders expressed confidence in the chief, calling …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia stands behind police chief after alleged racist texts; activist calls for resignation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — At least one community activist in Senatobia is calling for the resignation of Chief Harold Vanderford after outlets including The New York Times reported that he used racial slurs in …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia stands behind police chief after alleged racist texts; activist calls for resignation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — At least one community activist in Senatobia is calling for the resignation of Chief Harold Vanderford after outlets including The New York Times reported that he used racial slurs in …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia city leaders stand by police chief following racist text allegations
Senatobia Mayor and Board of Aldermen met with Police Chief Harold Vanderford regarding allegations that he used racist slurs in private texts. City leaders expressed confidence in the chief, calling …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia police chief under fire after investigative report reveals alleged racist texts
Senatobia Mayor and Board of Aldermen met with Police Chief Harold Vanderford regarding allegations that he used racist slurs in private texts. City leaders expressed confidence in the chief, calling …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia city leaders stand by police chief following racist text allegations
Senatobia Mayor and Board of Aldermen met with Police Chief Harold Vanderford regarding allegations that he used racist slurs in private texts. City leaders expressed confidence in the chief, calling …
Source: Bing News
Ben Crump demands truth in baby Kohen killing, calls out police chief’s alleged racial slur
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is still calling for justice for one-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was fatally shot in Senatobia, Mississippi, following allegations that the …
Source: Bing News
Ben Crump demands truth in baby Kohen killing, calls out police chief’s alleged racial slur
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is still calling for justice for one-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was fatally shot in Senatobia, Mississippi, following allegations that the Senatobia …
Source: Bing News
‘Harboring Hatred’: Mississippi Police Chief Overseeing Cops Involved in Fatal Shooting of Black Toddler Used Racial Slurs Over 12 Times in Messages
Private text messages attributed to Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford show the department leader repeatedly using racist slurs in conversations …
Source: Bing News
Senatobia says they stand behind police chief after reports of racial slurs
The City of Senatobia, Mississippi, is standing by its police chief after outlets including The New York Times reported that he used racial slurs in a series of text messages.
Source: Bing News
Reported racist texts by Senatobia police chief deepen community concerns
SENATOBIA, Miss. – Nationally published reports say Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford texted racial slurs. "Do we feel comfortable enough to go to the police? Don’t know," said Senatobia …
Source: Bing News
NAACP calls for Senatobia police chief's resignation after racist text messages emerge
The NAACP is calling for Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford to resign after reports said he repeatedly used racist slurs in private text messages with a colleague.
Source: Bing News
Officer Hunter Foster accused of directing a racist remark at a colleague two days before the shooting
An internal complaint obtained by Mississippi Today alleges that two days before the June 14 shooting, Senatobia Police Sgt. Hunter Foster — now publicly named for the first time in connection with the case — called a fellow officer, Dexter Smith, “a Black motherf—ker” in the department’s booking room. Smith resigned about a month after filing the complaint, writing in his resignation email that the lack of “any meaningful response or resolution” to the incident played a role in his decision to leave.
Officer publicly named as Hunter Foster for the first time as residents demand firing and murder charges at city council meeting
Residents packed a Senatobia Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night, demanding the termination and prosecution of the officer involved. “This isn’t going away. He put a bullet through a child, and you sent him home with pay,” said activist Patrick Lumumba, who was the first to publicly name the officer as Hunter Foster, saying the board “refuse[s] to fire Hunter Foster for mismanaging his gun” while it would fire a park manager over lesser mistakes. Speakers also pressed for the release of body-camera video and questioned how Foster, who they said had a prior legal case on his record, passed the department’s hiring background check. The Board of Aldermen did not respond to the concerns raised. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has said the video and case file will be released only once its investigation is complete.
Source: FOX13 Memphis / AOL
Senatobia police finally release a report on the shooting — but it withholds almost everything
Nearly a month after the shoplifting-call stop that killed Kohen Wiley, the Senatobia Police Department released a two-page report on the incident. It does not name the officer who fired, does not say how many officers were on scene, and does not explain why the encounter escalated into gunfire. The department and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which is investigating, have continued to decline requests from activists and reporters to release any police or Walmart surveillance video of the shooting.
Source: Mississippi Today
No new developments: case remains open, Senatobia and MBI still silent
Five days after the independent autopsy ruled Kohen Wiley’s death a homicide, there has been no new confirmed reporting in the case. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to list the case as open while declining further comment, no charges have been filed, the involved officer has not been publicly named, and no additional police or Walmart surveillance video has been released. This tracker is checking wire sources hourly and will post a new entry as soon as a named primary outlet confirms further movement.
Source: AP News
Senatobia leaders skip press conference on independent autopsy — family attorneys call it out
A day after the independent autopsy results were released, family attorneys said Senatobia city leaders and police officials did not attend or respond to the findings, calling the silence conspicuous given the homicide ruling.
Source: Action News 5
Independent autopsy rules Kohen Wiley’s death a homicide — shotgun wound entered through the passenger window
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell held a press conference revealing the independent autopsy: cause of death was a shotgun wound to the torso, with the bullet entering Kohen’s right side and exiting his left — consistent with the shot coming from the side of the vehicle, not from in front of it. Crump said that undercuts the department’s account that the officer fired because the car was driving at him.
Independent forensic review complete; press conference set for Wednesday
Attorney Ben Crump’s team announced the independent forensic review of Kohen’s gunshot wound was complete and would be revealed at a news conference, alongside a renewed demand for the release of all police and Walmart surveillance video.
Source: Action News 5
‘He’s all I had:’ Family and hundreds of mourners say goodbye at Kohen’s funeral
Family, friends, and community members gathered for a funeral service honoring Kohen Wiley. Relatives spoke about the joy he brought and renewed calls for accountability as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continued its review.
Source: Action News 5 / NBC News
Ben Crump announces independent autopsy, demands release of all police and Walmart video
Attorney Ben Crump announced the family had commissioned an independent autopsy and repeated the demand — “just release the video” — for Senatobia police and Walmart to hand over all body-camera and store surveillance footage from the shooting.
Source: Action News 5 / WLBT
Senatobia places unnamed officer on administrative leave
The City of Senatobia placed the still-unnamed officer on administrative leave. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell pledged a “transparent investigation” but said no video would be released until the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation finishes its work.
Source: Mississippi Free Press
200+ protest at Senatobia City Hall; officers deploy tear gas
More than 200 people gathered outside Senatobia City Hall chanting “No Justice, No Peace.” That evening, officers in gas masks deployed tear gas on a crowd near the Walmart where Kohen was shot.
Source: Mississippi Free Press
Senatobia officer shoots into vehicle at Walmart, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley
Officers responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart on U.S. 51 in Senatobia said the driver of a fleeing vehicle drove toward an officer, who then opened fire. Inside the car was 1-year-old Kohen Kartier Wiley, who was pronounced dead at a hospital; an adult was critically injured. The family disputes that any shoplifting occurred.
References
AOL. (2026, July 22). Senatobia residents demand officer fired after toddler killed. https://www.aol.com/articles/senatobia-residents-demand-officer-fired-235120000.html
Action News 5. (2026, July 1). ‘Shotgun wound:’ Independent autopsy rules 1-year-old Kohen Wiley’s death homicide. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/07/01/shotgun-wound-independent-autopsy-rules-1-year-old-kohen-wileys-death-homicide/
Action News 5. (2026, July 2). ‘They hiding:’ Senatobia leaders called out for missing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley’s independent autopsy press conference. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/07/02/they-hiding-senatobia-leaders-called-out-missing-1-year-old-kohen-wileys-independent-autopsy-press-conference/
Action News 5. (2026, June 21). ‘JUST RELEASE THE VIDEO’: Attorney Ben Crump announces independent autopsy, demands transparency in death of Kohen Wiley. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/06/21/attorney-ben-crump-announces-independent-autopsy-demands-transparency-death-kohen-wiley/
Action News 5. (2026, June 23). ‘He’s all I had:’ Kohen Wiley’s family says he brought so much joy into the world. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/06/23/hes-all-i-had-kohen-wileys-family-says-he-brought-so-much-joy-into-world/
Action News 5. (2026, June 30). Independent autopsy report complete in death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/06/30/independent-autopsy-report-complete-death-1-year-old-kohen-wiley/
Associated Press. (2026, July 1). Autopsy released of Mississippi baby killed by police. https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-baby-shot-police-kohen-wiley-autopsy-8f96096cb675e34fd4de111c4cd1b965
Atlanta Black Star. (2026, July 23). 'The room went silent': White Mississippi cop involved in deadly shooting of Black 1-year-old accused of making racist remark just two days before. https://atlantablackstar.com/2026/07/23/white-mississippi-cop-involved-in-deadly-shooting-of-black-1-year-old-accused-of-making-racist-remark-just-two-days-before/
Capital B News. (2026, June). Mississippi police fatally shoot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. https://capitalbnews.org/mississippi-police-shooting-kohen-kartier-wiley/
FOX13 Memphis. (2026, July 22). Senatobia city council meeting grows heated as community demands answers in child's death. https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/senatobia-city-council-meeting-grows-heated-as-community-demands-answers-in-childs-death/article_f75e0d55-c3c0-4147-a94d-ddafdb679759.html
Mississippi Free Press. (2026, June 16). Mississippi police officer shoots and kills 1-year-old child in response to Senatobia shoplifting call. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippi-police-officer-shoots-and-kills-1-year-old-child-in-response-to-senatobia-shoplifting-call/
Mississippi Free Press. (2026, June 16). Mississippians march for 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, demanding accountability after police shooting. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippians-march-for-1-year-old-kohen-wiley-demanding-accountability-after-police-shooting/
Mississippi Free Press. (2026, June 17). Anger mounts in Senatobia over police killing of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. https://www.mississippifreepress.org/anger-mounts-in-senatobia-over-police-killing-of-1-year-old-kohen-wiley/
Mississippi Today. (2026, July 1). Officer who shot baby Kohen Wiley in Senatobia was not in harm’s way, family attorney says. https://mississippitoday.org/2026/07/01/autopsy-1-year-old-kohen-wiley-senatobia/
Mississippi Today. (2026, July 10). Senatobia police release internal reports of shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. https://mississippitoday.org/2026/07/10/senatobia-police-shooting-internal-report/
NBC News. (2026, June 23). Family of 1-year-old boy fatally shot by Mississippi police says goodbye, as questions remain. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kohen-wiley-senatobia-mississippi-funeral-police-shooting-rcna351609
Newsweek. (2026, July 1). Shotgun blast to chest killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, attorney says. https://www.newsweek.com/shotgun-blast-kohen-wiley-autopsy-homicide-ben-crump-12148025
Methodology: Entries are added only after confirmation from at least one named primary outlet (local TV/print, Mississippi Free Press, Capital B News, or the family’s legal team). The investigation is ongoing, the officer has not been publicly named or charged, and allegations remain unproven. This page will keep updating as the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, family attorneys, and Senatobia officials release new information.