Police chief in Mississippi town where 1-year-old was killed has been fired
Senatobia, where white officer shot and killed Kohen Wiley, terminates chief who reportedly used racist slurs in texts
TL;DR
- Senatobia, Mississippi, fired Police Chief Harold Vanderford due to reported use of racist slurs in text messages.
- Vanderford had only recently been appointed chief, and the city's board of aldermen rejected his resignation to terminate him.
- The town was previously in national news after a white officer fatally shot Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old Black baby, during a shoplifting response.
- Previous incidents involving the Senatobia police and Black residents, including the arrest of a 10-year-old boy and the forceful removal of a Black woman from her car, are highlighted.
- The family of Kohen Wiley, represented by civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, is seeking transparency and the release of footage related to the shooting.
- The Mississippi legislative Black caucus has urged state officials to take action and provide the family with updates on the investigation.