SENATOBIA, Mississippi — The police officer who shot and killed a 1-year-old boy in Mississippi when he fired into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call has resigned, Senatobia Mayor Greg Graves confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday, October 23.

Source: Associated Press, Oct. 23, 2026

Sgt. Hunter Foster, 33, had been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Mississippi Attorney General's office earlier this week after its months-long probe concluded his use of force had been justified. On Thursday, the state released videos of the fatal shooting, including Foster's body-worn camera footage of the June 14 encounter in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Memphis, Tennessee, the AP reported.

Source: Mississippi Free Press, Oct. 23, 2026

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation report cited by the AP, officers were already at the Walmart for an unrelated incident when an employee alerted them that two women were running from the store, suspected of shoplifting diapers and other baby items. The boy's mother was holding him on her lap in the front passenger seat when officers approached the car with guns drawn. As the driver reversed, hit a parked vehicle and then accelerated forward, Foster fired through the front passenger window, killing the child and injuring the driver, according to the footage and reports.

Foster's attorney Martin Zummach declined to comment when reached Friday, the AP said. Zummach has previously said Foster had no choice but to fire because the vehicle was moving toward him. The child's family and their attorneys dispute the state's 'justified' finding: after reviewing the footage on October 22, family attorney Ben Crump called the response excessive from the start and firing into a car in a busy Walmart parking lot reckless, the Mississippi Free Press reported.

The boy's mother has denied that she and her friend stole items from the store, and neither woman has been charged with shoplifting, according to reporting cited by the AP. The Mississippi Free Press said Mayor Graves also confirmed the resignation to CNN on Friday. Foster was the only officer at the scene who fired his weapon, local reporting said.