Nationwide — Harold Vanderford, police chief in Senatobia, Mississippi, was fired Tuesday after reports surfaced that he allegedly sent racist and degrading text messages about Black people. His termination comes less than three months after a Senatobia police officer fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley outside a Walmart, a case that remains under investigation.
The Senatobia Board of Aldermen voted to remove Vanderford from his position, according to the family’s attorney, Ben Crump. Crump said the board also rejected a resignation letter Vanderford reportedly submitted earlier that day. The board and police department did not immediately explain whether the vote was unanimous or provide details about what led to the chief’s removal.
According to ABC News, the firing came after reports that detailed a series of text messages allegedly sent from Vanderford’s phone. The messages reportedly date back to last summer and included racist language directed at Black people. The reports prompted renewed questions about his position as police chief. City officials had previously addressed the messages with Vanderford. Mayor Greg Graves and the Board of Aldermen met with him last week after a report about the private texts was published. Vanderford answered questions about the messages and officials said he would continue serving as chief. The city later reversed that position and removed him from office Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the June 14 shooting that killed Wiley. Authorities said officers responded to a shoplifting call and encountered two adults who were allegedly leaving a Walmart with a child before getting into a vehicle. Attorneys for the family said the adults had been accused of stealing diapers. An officer opened fire after the driver allegedly drove the vehicle toward police, according to investigators.
Wiley was in the vehicle with his mother and a family friend, according to the family’s attorneys. The 1-year-old died, while the family friend suffered critical injuries. The MBI has not released surveillance footage or body camera video from the shooting. Wiley’s attorneys again called for the footage to be made public following Vanderford’s firing.
Crump said the chief’s removal was the right decision but noted that it does not resolve the family’s questions about what happened to Kohen. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, while the family continues to seek answers about the circumstances that led to the 1-year-old’s death.