US News
Mississippi city fires police chief following fatal shooting of toddler and report on racist texts
Senatobia aldermen rejected Harold Vanderford's resignation to terminate him unanimously amid heightened tensions over the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
The short version
- The Senatobia Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to fire Police Chief Harold Vanderford, rejecting his same-day resignation.
- The termination follows news reports alleging Vanderford used racist slurs in text messages and comes months after a local officer fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
- Attorneys representing Wiley's family are continuing to demand the public release of police body camera footage from the June shooting.
Key facts
- The Senatobia Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to fire Police Chief Harold Vanderford on Tuesday, declining to accept his submitted resignation.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- The dismissal followed investigative reporting by The New York Times, Mississippi Today, and Verite News alleging Vanderford used racist slurs in private text messages with a colleague.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- On June 14, a Senatobia police officer fired into a vehicle during a shoplifting investigation at a Walmart, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley and wounding another woman.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Kohen's mother denied allegations of theft, and authorities have filed no charges against her or her companion.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Civil rights attorney Ben Crump called for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to publicly release body camera footage from the June shooting.[Associated Press · ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- State authorities have not publicly released the body camera footage of the fatal June 14 shooting, leaving specific details of the officer's actions unverified.[Associated Press · ABC News]