Officer steps down after shooting
A Mississippi police officer who fired into a moving vehicle outside a Walmart in June, killing a 1-year-old boy, has resigned, according to CBS News. Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed to the network on Friday that officer Hunter Foster had stepped down.
The resignation follows an announcement on Monday from the Mississippi attorney general's office that the use of force in the shooting was justified. The episode began as a response to an alleged shoplifting report. The boy, identified as Kohen Wiley, was inside the car and died.
What the body camera footage shows
CBS News reported that Senatobia officers and Tate County sheriff's deputies were already at the store on an unrelated call when the alleged shoplifting came up. They approached a car that was moving through the parking lot and shouted for it to stop. When it kept moving, Foster opened fire.
Body camera video described by CBS shows the car backing up and striking a parked vehicle as officers converged on it with their guns drawn. When the car then moves forward, Foster is seen stepping out of its path and putting a hand on the hood, and shots from his weapon can be heard. The front passenger window shatters, and the car drives away.
According to CBS, the driver has not been charged in connection with the incident.
Competing accounts from both sides
Foster's attorney, Martin Zummach, has said his client had no alternative because the car was coming toward him. In a statement on Friday, Zummach accused the driver of trying to kill the officers. He also said, "We are very sad for the loss of life."
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who represents the boy's family, responded to news of the resignation by saying he is asking the Department of Justice to open an investigation. On social media, Crump wrote that "Accountability can't end here." He said the footage shows how quickly the situation escalated over what began as an alleged shoplifting call.
The two positions sit alongside the state's conclusion. The attorney general's office found the force justified, while the family's lawyer is seeking federal scrutiny.
What remains unclear
The CBS report does not say whether the Justice Department will act on Crump's request. It also does not say whether the driver will face charges, or why Foster chose to resign. The mayor's confirmation was the only comment from city government in the material provided.
Shootings by officers into moving vehicles often prompt questions about whether the officer faced an imminent threat and whether other options existed. Here, the state reviewed that question and reached a conclusion, but the family and its lawyer have made clear they do not consider the matter settled.
