Mississippi police officer who fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley resigns: Mayor
The Mississippi police officer who fired the shot that killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley in a Walmart parking lot in June during an alleged shoplifting pursuit has resigned, Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed to ABC News.
"The board of aldermen accepted his resignation Wednesday October 21st," the mayor said on Friday afternoon. Asked if he was asked to resign or did so on his own accord, the mayor did not comment. ABC news reached out to the Senatobia Police Department but requests for comment were not returned.
Police body camera footage of the June 14 incident was released Thursday by investigators, following the Mississippi Attorney General's Office release Monday of the findings of its investigation, concluding that the use of force by the Senatobia Police Department was "justified," and that no charges will be filed in this case.
The officer, who was identified in June by local media as Hunter Foster, was initially placed on administrative leave pending a probe by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), police told ABC News.
Foster's attorney Martin Zummach told The Associated Press in comments published on Friday that Foster had "no choice" but to fire his weapon because the fleeing car was driving towards him. ABC News reached out to Zummach for further comment.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Kohen's family, said during a press conference on Thursday that the officer's actions were "excessive."
Crump argued that the driver was attempting to flee -- not hit the officers, and that police could have gotten the car's tags to follow up on and investigate the shoplifting allegations. He said that the officer did not have to fire his weapon.
"[Kohen] was killed over an allegation of shoplifting of diapers, and even if someone is charged, shoplifting diapers is a misdemeanor," Crump said on Thursday. "I mean, it doesn't warrant the death penalty. It certainly doesn't warrant the death of 1-year-old baby Kohen."
Crump said that the family is calling for a federal investigation in this case.
Body camera footage of the officer-involved shooting and surveillance videos from the Senatobia Walmart were released on Thursday by MBI. Body camera footage of the incident reviewed by ABC News shows that the officer fired multiple shots at the vehicle as it appeared to drive towards the police, who had their guns drawn, in an attempt to flee.
At the time of the shooting, the baby was inside a vehicle, along with his mother and a friend who was driving at the time, Crump told ABC News. Members of Kohen's family viewed the body camera footage privately on Thursday before its public release later that day.
Veronica Roberson, Kohen's maternal grandmother, said that she was "disgusted" while watching videos of the incident that killed her grandson.
"I watched the video this morning that disgusted me," she said. "I feel like we have been done wrong," she added. "I watched an officer come from the inside of Walmart, not knowing what's going on, and run out with guns drawn. There's no justification for that."
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves defended the investigation and police during a press conference on Wednesday, saying that while he had not viewed the body camera video himself, he has "trust" in the MBI and the state attorney general's office.
"Absolutely tragic, and anyone should be focused on praying for that loss of life, and the people who loved that young child, no question," he said.
But Reeves added that investigators found that "it was very clear" that "the driver of the vehicle attempted to run over the policeman."
Asked about the findings of the attorney general's report that the shooting was "justified," a spokesperson for the Senatobia police did not comment on the findings.
Senatobia interim police chief Angelica Maze, who has since resigned from her position as chief, thanked the public for patience during the investigation in a statement on Tuesday.
"We understand that people may have questions, concerns, and strong emotions, and we respect everyone's right to express their views peacefully," Maze said in her statement. "Open communication and cooperation between residents and law enforcement are essential as we move forward together."
Graves confirmed Maze's resignation to ABC News on Friday. The reasons and the timing of her resignation are unclear. ABC News reached out to Maze but requests for comment were not returned.
Maze was not the chief of police when the shooting of Kohen Wiley took place in June. "She resigned as interim chief and returned to her previous position," Graves told ABC News. "LaMorris Hampton will be the new interim [police chief]," he added.
ABC News' Tesfaye Negussie and Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report
