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Ongoing story / Senatobia

The police killing of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in Senatobia, Mississippi

Overview · reviewed November 14, 2026

On June 14, 2026, a police officer in Senatobia, Mississippi, responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart, fired into a moving car and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.[1][2] In October a state investigation found that the officer, Hunter Foster, had acted appropriately, and he resigned; body camera footage released then showed him firing into the passenger side as the car passed him.[3][4][5] The city's police chief was fired in September after reports that he had used racial slurs in text messages.[6][7]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

In October a state investigation found that the officer, Hunter Foster, had acted appropriately, and he resigned; body camera footage released then showed him firing into the passenger side as the car passed him.[3][4][5] The city's police chief was fired in September after reports that he had used racial slurs in text messages.[6][7]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-06-15 (UTC): 3%, 8 of 234 tracked outlets (5 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): under 1%, 2 of 560 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): under 1%, 2 of 466 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 475 tracked outlets (2 left, 2 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 7%, 35 of 479 tracked outlets (11 left, 20 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 473 tracked outlets (4 left, 5 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 471 tracked outlets (3 left, 5 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 1 more outlet off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 20263519 of 4712%
Oct 26, 202645110 of 4732%
Oct 19, 20261120435 of 4797%
Aug 31, 20262226 of 4751%
Aug 24, 20260202 of 466under 1%
Jul 6, 20260202 of 560under 1%
Jun 15, 20265218 of 2343%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 3, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WSVN Miami

    Activist charged with setting fire to embattled Mississippi police department

Background

The officer shot at the vehicle while pursuing two women suspected of shoplifting, killing the boy and wounding another person, authorities and the child's grandfather said.[1][4] Residents packed a meeting of the city's aldermen in July to demand that the officer be fired.[8] In August outlets including The New York Times reported that Police Chief Harold Vanderford had used racial slurs in texts, and the city at first stood by him;[7] he was fired in September.[6]

In October the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation released the body camera footage, which showed Foster opening fire while dodging the car, driven by a family friend.[9][10] The state found no criminal wrongdoing,[10] the boy's mother and family lawyers spoke out,[11] and the city named an interim police chief.[12] On November 2, Kohen's parents led a protest at the state attorney general's office,[13] and an Alabama man was charged with setting the October 31 fire that damaged the Senatobia police department's headquarters, which federal officials had been investigating.[14][15]

Supporting stories (15)
  1. Police shooting of 1-year-old Mississippi boy ignites tension between police and Black residents
  2. Senatobia officer put himself in harm’s way before fatally shooting 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, experts say
  3. Kohen Wiley: Officer's attorney, ex-police captain speak on justified ruling
  4. Mississippi officer and interim police chief resign after officer’s fatal shooting of 1-year-old in car during pursuit
  5. Bodycam: Cop Was Not in Danger When He Fired Shots That Killed 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley
  6. Mississippi city where police killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley fires police chief
  7. Senatobia community activists demand police chief’s firing after alleged racist texts
  8. Senatobia residents demand officer fired after fatal shooting of toddler
  9. Body-camera footage released in police shooting of Miss. 1-year-old Kohen Wiley as family speaks out
  10. Mississippi releases video showing fatal shooting of 1-year-old boy by police officer
  11. Family of Kohen Wiley to hold press conference Thursday
  12. Interim police chief in Senatobia to resign, return to previous role
  13. Parents of 1-year-old fatally shot by police protest at Mississippi Attorney General's Office
  14. Federal officials investigate fire at beleaguered police department in Mississippi
  15. Activist charged with setting fire to embattled Mississippi police department

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 17 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Activist charged with setting fire to embattled Mississippi police departmentHeadline from WCBD News 2 · 7 outlets
  2. Parents of 1-year-old fatally shot by police protest at Mississippi Attorney General's OfficeHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 7 outlets

October 2026

  1. Federal officials investigate fire at beleaguered police department in MississippiHeadline from KOB 4 · 10 outlets
  2. Diaper drive planned in Senatobia to honor Kohen WileyHeadline from WREG Memphis · 1 outlet
  3. Bodycam: Cop Was Not in Danger When He Fired Shots That Killed 1-Year-Old Kohen WileyHeadline from The Intercept · 1 outlet
  4. Interim police chief in Senatobia to resign, return to previous roleHeadline from WREG Memphis · 1 outlet
  5. Mississippi officer and interim police chief resign after officer’s fatal shooting of 1-year-old in car during pursuitHeadline from KRDO · 33 outlets
  6. Body-camera footage released in police shooting of Miss. 1-year-old Kohen Wiley as family speaks outHeadline from ABC 7 New York · 1 outlet
  7. Kohen Wiley: Officer's attorney, ex-police captain speak on justified rulingHeadline from News Nation Now · 1 outlet
  8. Senatobia officer put himself in harm’s way before fatally shooting 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, experts sayHeadline from Mississippi Today · 1 outlet
  9. Family of toddler fatally shot by Senatobia police is shown unredacted footage by Mississippi officials in private screeningHeadline from Mississippi Today · 1 outlet
  10. Family of Kohen Wiley to hold press conference ThursdayHeadline from WREG Memphis · 2 outlets
  11. Mississippi releases video showing fatal shooting of 1-year-old boy by police officerHeadline from KAAL Rochester · 4 outlets

September 2026

  1. Mississippi city where police killed one-year-old Kohen Wiley fires police chiefHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 7 outlets

August 2026

  1. Senatobia community activists demand police chief’s firing after alleged racist textsHeadline from WDBD Fox 40 Jackson MS · 2 outlets

July 2026

  1. Senatobia residents demand officer fired after fatal shooting of toddlerHeadline from WREG Memphis · 2 outlets

June 2026

  1. Police shooting of 1-year-old Mississippi boy ignites tension between police and Black residentsHeadline from Los Angeles Times · 8 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →