Police chief in Mississippi town where1-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
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Adria R Walker2 Sept 2026, 07:10 pmUpdated 2h ago2 min readAmericasUnited States
United States — Adria R Walker
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
Late Tuesday, the city of Senatobia, Mississippi fired its police chief, Harold Vanderford, after it was reported that Vanderford regularly used racist slurs against Black people in his text messages. The town, which is about 40% Black , made national news earlier this year after a white officer fatally shot and killed Kohen Wiley , a one-year-old Black baby, while responding to a shoplifting call at Walmart. Officers fired into a vehicle, shooting the driver and killing the toddler, who was being held in his mother’s arms.
Though Vanderford submitted a resignation letter earlier on 1 September, the city’s board of aldermen unanimously voted to reject it and to terminate the officer instead. Vanderford’s firing came just under a week after the city wrote in a statement that, despite the messages, he would “continue to serve the City with the confidence that was placed in him at the time that he was appointed as Chief”.
Late Tuesday, the city of Senatobia, Mississippi fired its police chief, Harold Vanderford, after it was reported that Vanderford regularly used racist slurs against Black people in his text messages. The town, which is about 40% Black , made national news earlier this year after a white officer fatally shot and killed Kohen Wiley , a one-year-old Black baby, while responding to a shoplifting call at Walmart. Officers fired into a vehicle, shooting the driver and killing the toddler, who was being held in his mother’s arms.
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Source: The Guardian · Adria R Walker. Published 2 Sept 2026, 07:10 pm.
