Mississippi Police Chief Fired After Toddler Killed in Walmart Shooting

Senatobia's police chief was fired unanimously by the board of aldermen following the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley and reports of racist texts.

Senatobia Police Chief Dismissed After Child's Death and Racist Text Scandal

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that the police chief of Senatobia, a small city in northern Mississippi, has been fired following the fatal police shooting of a one-year-old boy and allegations that the chief used racist slurs in private text messages.

Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation on Tuesday, but Senatobia's board of aldermen declined to accept it and instead voted unanimously to terminate him. The city clerk confirmed the decision without elaborating on the board's stated reasons.

The dismissal came weeks after reporting by The New York Times, Mississippi Today and Verite News alleged that Vanderford had used racist slurs in private text conversations with a colleague. The firing also followed sustained community pressure in the aftermath of the June 14 shooting death of Kohen Wiley, a Black toddler.

Wiley was fatally shot and a woman was wounded after a Senatobia police officer fired into a vehicle during a shoplifting investigation at a local Walmart. The boy's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, denied that she or a friend accompanying her had stolen anything. No charges have been filed against either woman. The officer who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation conducts an inquiry into the incident.

Senatobia has a population of just over 8,000 and lies roughly 65 kilometres south of Memphis. Kohen Wiley's death intensified longstanding tensions between Black residents and local law enforcement in the city.

Alderman Demetrius Garrett addressed the vote in a Facebook post. "I believe the Board has a responsibility to protect the integrity and trust of the Senatobia Police Department," Garrett wrote. "I still believe in unity. But unity does not mean ignoring serious issues — it means standing together for what is right."

As recently as 25 August, the city had issued a statement saying Vanderford had appeared before the mayor and board to answer questions about the texts and would remain in his position. That stance was reversed Tuesday.

Alderman Chris McConnell called for an independent investigation of the department. "We need answers about departmental leadership, internal culture, the handling of complaints and misconduct, financial practices, and whether the Board has been receiving the information necessary to provide proper oversight," McConnell said. "Our citizens deserve a police department they can trust."

National civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wiley family, described the firing as the "right decision." He also called on the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to release body-camera footage of the shooting. "The racist language that cost Chief Vanderford his job is exactly why this family cannot simply be told to trust the process," Crump said. "Give this family the facts they have been owed since the day Kohen died."

The Senatobia Police Department declined to comment on the dismissal. Vanderford could not be reached for a response.

Vanderford had been appointed police chief on 29 September 2025, after the board of aldermen declined to reappoint his predecessor, Richard Chandler. Chandler's tenure had itself been marked by controversy, including the 2023 arrest of a 10-year-old Black boy for urinating in public and an incident in which an officer used a Taser threat and pulled a woman from her car during a dispute over a disabled parking space outside the same Walmart where Kohen Wiley was later shot.

Community activist Patrick Lumumba drew a direct line between the two administrations. "You removed Richard Chandler," Lumumba said. "But you did not remove the culture of racism, and that's what Vanderford harbors."

Following the child's death, Lumumba founded the Senatobia Committee for Accountability and Transparency, a watchdog group demanding answers about the June shooting and pushing for reforms in local policing. He expressed confidence in Lt. Angelica Maze, who will serve as interim police chief, describing her as a "good person."

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)