E-Paper
Kohen Wiley shooting: Senatobia cop, Hunter Foster, resigns after body camera footage released in fatal shooting of 1-year-old
Senatobia police officer, Hunter Foster, fired three shots during a Walmart parking lot confrontation in June which killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
Prefer HTon Google
Former Senatobia Police Officer Hunter Foster has resigned after authorities released body camera footage from the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley on Thursday, Action News 5 reported. The footage showed the moments leading up to the June shooting during a confrontation in a Walmart parking lot in Mississippi.
Officers are seen running from a Walmart after an employee reported suspected shoplifters fleeing the store. Within about 13 seconds of reaching the parking lot, Foster pointed his firearm toward a vehicle carrying Wiley and his family, according to the footage released by DPS.
Body camera audio captured officers shouting, “Stop the car,” before gunfire erupted. Authorities said three shots, all fired by Foster, struck the vehicle. The driver was wounded, while Wiley, who was in his mother, Vellesiya Wiley's, arms in the front passenger seat, was fatally shot.
The family was being chased for allegedly stealing diapers from Walmart. However, Vellesiya, according to state and county court records, has previously denied that she and her friend stole diapers from the business and have not been charged. According to her, she lifted Kohen up to demonstrate to the police that he was in the vehicle.
Also read: US issues travel alert ahead of Steelers vs Saints Paris NFL game as protests rock France
What does the footage show?
A portion of the footage was uploaded on the website of Darkhorse Press, a Mississippi crime and community news organization that focuses on law enforcement, on Wednesday, NBC News reported.
Two ladies were seen in the videos sprinting across the parking lot and getting into a car, one of them carrying a baby. With their weapons drawn, five officers approached the parked vehicle. Officers shouted for the car to stop. However, it reversed away and collided with a parked car.
A cop was then seen approaching the car, right in front of it, his gun drawn, and the car sped onward. He appeared to place his hands on the hood as he leapt out of the way as the wheels turn away from him. He shot his gun and , smashed the front passenger side window. The car kept driving away even after shots were fired.
Also read: ‘Tan Mom’ Patricia Krentcil claims ICE agents questioned her citizenship over bronzed skin
Foster's attorney claimed the shooting was justified
This Monday, the Mississippi attorney general's office had announced that Foster's use of force was justified after a month-long inquiry.
According to Martin Zummach, Foster's lawyer, his client had "no choice" but to shoot at the car since it was going to hit him, NBC News reported. He further noted that “the investigation and findings contradict the false narrative that has been spread the last 4 months.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family disputed the state’s legal conclusion, arguing that the death of the child should not have occurred regardless of the circumstances. “The bullet that killed Kohen Wiley was not justified,” Crump said during Thursday’s news conference.
Kohen’s grandmother, LaSandra Williams, said she struggled to understand how investigators concluded the shooting was justified. “I’m having a difficult time understanding the word justified,” Williams said after reviewing the footage, according to Action News 5.
Crump called for Foster to be permanently decertified as a law enforcement officer.“America, our society must have more empathy for human life,” Crump said during a Thursday news conference.
