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Foster’s earlier excessive-force lawsuits come under scrutiny
Previous cases and leadership change
An Action News 5 investigation reported by WLBT found that former Senatobia officer Hunter Foster was named in two earlier civil lawsuits alleging excessive force. A 2021 case involving his work for Southaven police ended in a confidential settlement, while a 2023 case from his time as a DeSoto County sheriff’s deputy was dismissed. The allegations were not findings of wrongdoing.
WLBT also reported that Lamorris Hampton has become Senatobia’s interim police chief. Angelica Maze relinquished the interim leadership role but remains with the department. Tate County officials are considering whether to charge Kohen Wiley’s mother and great-aunt over the encounter, according to the report.
Senatobia officer and interim chief leave posts in Kohen Wiley case
Two resignations at Senatobia police
Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves said on Friday that Foster had resigned. City clerk Katie Harbin separately said Maze had given up the interim chief position but was remaining with the police department in a different capacity.
Mississippi authorities made body-camera and surveillance footage of the June 14 encounter public on Thursday. The shooting happened in a Walmart parking lot, where officers had initially gathered in connection with another incident. They responded when a store employee reported that two women were running away.
Video captures fatal encounter
The footage shows Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, carrying him as she and a friend enter a car. Police approach with weapons drawn and repeatedly direct the driver to stop. The car backs into another vehicle before moving forward near Foster, who fires into its passenger side. Kohen, seated on his mother’s lap, was fatally struck, while the driver was wounded.
Accounts differ over the threat facing police. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said the driver headed toward officers and came close to striking one. Foster’s attorney, Martin Zummach, said Foster fired as the car moved at him. Wiley rejects the claim that her friend drove toward police.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for Kohen’s family, maintains that the footage shows the fatal round was fired from beside the vehicle rather than directly in front of it. Anchorage Daily News reported that a family-commissioned autopsy reached the same conclusion.
No state prosecution; family requests federal inquiry
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the investigation produced insufficient evidence of criminal conduct to send the matter to a grand jury. Her office concluded that Foster’s force was justified, declined prosecution and closed its case.
The family’s lawyers are seeking a federal investigation and the permanent loss of Foster’s police certification. Public Safety spokesperson Alex Gibert said on Friday that Foster was still certified. Anchorage Daily News also reported, citing state and county court records, that neither Wiley nor her friend had been charged in connection with the suspected shoplifting.