A public records request by Memphis Action 5 News has identified Senatobia Police Department Sergeant Hunter Foster as one of the officers present at the police shooting of Kohen Kartier Wiley, a 1-year-old toddler.
Heavy redactions prevent the publicly available documents from identifying the officer who fired their weapon. As of Friday, there is no public confirmation that Foster is the officer responsible.
The Senatobia Police Department hired Foster on March 4, 2025. Only months later, on September 16, Foster was promoted to Sergeant, the role he currently occupies. SPD placed the officer who shot Kohen Wiley on leave, standard procedure after a police shooting, while the investigation proceeds. That officer’s identity has not been publicly disclosed.
The Mississippi Free Press has requested information on Foster’s previous employment from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, including any previous incidents involving use of force.
The broader community continues to protest after Wiley’s shooting, calling for transparency and a release of all relevant evidence. Thus far, no arrests have been made in the shooting of Wiley or in the alleged shoplifting call that brought the Senatobia Police Department.
Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen’s mother, released a video in which she said she had attempted to show law enforcement that a toddler was in her arms before the officer discharged their weapon at the car where she and her son were passengers. She has also rejected any accusations of shoplifting. Kohen Wiley’s family has retained prominent civil-rights attorney Ben Crump.
And it may be an extraordinary amount of time before the case moves forward. Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell informed Mississippi Public Broadcasting today that the investigation may take six to nine months. Tindell has previously said that no video footage will be released while the investigation is ongoing.
“At this point, we’re still gathering evidence from Walmart and body cams and dash cam footage if they’re available,” Tindell told the outlet. Aside from a clip of cellphone camera footage that shows a car driving away from police outside the Senatobia Walmart, no footage has been confirmed or released after Sunday’s shooting.
Delta Steakhouse, a restaurant in Senatobia, announced a benefit on behalf of the Wiley family, who will be the recipient of the proceeds. “In moments like these, we lean on one another, lift one another up, and remind each other that no family walks through hardship alone,” the restaurant wrote on social media.
