Senatobia Police Chief Fired Amid Controversy Over Racist Slurs and Child Shooting Aftermath
Harold Vanderford, the police chief of Senatobia, Mississippi, was fired by the city's board of aldermen following reports of his alleged use of racist slurs in private text conversations with a colleague. This decision came after Vanderford submitted his resignation, which the board unanimously rejected in favor of termination. The firing occurs amidst ongoing controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley by a Senatobia police officer in June, during a response to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. The officer involved in Wiley's shooting has been placed on administrative leave, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is conducting an inquiry. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Wiley's family, called Vanderford's firing the 'right decision' but emphasized the need for transparency, urging the release of body-camera footage from the shooting. 
