A Mississippi police officer who shot into a moving car, killing a one-year-old boy outside a Walmart, has resigned, the mayor of Senatobia has confirmed.
Hunter Foster left his post after the Mississippi attorney general’s office said the use of force in the June shooting was justified. The incident began with an alleged shoplifting report.
Police officers and Tate County sheriff’s deputies were already at the Walmart dealing with an unrelated call when they approached the moving vehicle in the car park and ordered its occupants to stop.
When the vehicle failed to halt, Foster opened fire. Body-camera footage shows the car reversing into a parked vehicle as officers surrounded it with their guns drawn.
As the car moved forward, Foster appears to step aside while placing one hand on its bonnet. Gunshots are then heard, the front passenger window shatters and the vehicle drives away.
Kohen Wiley, who was one year old, was inside the car and died in the shooting.
Foster’s lawyer, Martin Zummach, said the officer had been forced to fire because the vehicle was moving towards him. In a statement, he accused the driver, who has not been charged in connection with the incident, of trying to kill the officers.
“Hunter Foster had no choice but to discharge his weapon. We are very sad for the loss of life,” Mr Zummach said.
Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer representing Kohen’s family, called for the US Department of Justice to investigate the shooting following news of Foster’s resignation.
“Accountability can’t end here. Body camera footage shows how quickly this escalated over an alleged shoplifting call,” Mr Crump said.
