Mississippi City Where Police Killed One-Year-Old Kohen Wiley Fires Police Chief
The board unanimously voted to remove Harold Vanderford after reports of racist texts and renewed anger over the June police shooting of Kohen Wiley.
- On Tuesday, the Senatobia board of aldermen unanimously voted to fire Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford, rejecting his resignation attempt. The decision follows the fatal June shooting of one-year-old Kohen Wiley by police responding to a shoplifting call.
- Reporting by The New York Times, Mississippi Today, and Verite News alleged Vanderford used racist slurs in private text conversations. The city previously defended the chief on Aug. 25, stating he would continue to serve despite the allegations.
- National civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Kohen's family, called the firing the "right decision." Crump demanded the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations release body camera footage from the June 14 shooting.
- Alderman Demetrius Garrett wrote in a Facebook post that the board has a responsibility to protect the integrity of the Senatobia Police Department. He emphasized unity requires standing together for what is right.
- Kohen Wiley's death ignited anger in the small town where tensions between Black residents and police have boiled over in recent years. The June incident at Walmart remains a focal point for community accountability efforts.
43 Articles
43 Articles
After Toddler Shooting, Outlets Find Police Chief's Racist Texts
A north Mississippi police chief already under fire over the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old Black child has now been ousted over racist texts. Senatobia's Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday to fire Chief Harold "Hal" Vanderford after reporters uncovered years of derogatory messages about Black people, some sent while...
Police chief fired amid controversy in aftermath of child’s shooting in a small Mississippi city - WXXV News 25
By SOPHIE BATES The police chief of a northern Mississippi city where 1-year-old Black child Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by police responding to a shoplifting call was fired Tuesday amid a new controversy. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation the same day, but the city’s board of aldermen declined to acknowledge it and instead voted unanimously to fire the...
Senatobia Police Chief Fired After Reports of Racist Texts in Wake of Baby Kohen Wiley’s Killing
The police chief of Senatobia, a Mississippi city where an officer shot and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in June while responding to a shoplifting call, was fired by city officials Tuesday after reports of racist text messages emerged.
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