Reports alleged Vanderford used racist slurs in private texts
The Senatobia Board of Aldermen voted unanimously on Tuesday to fire Police Chief Harold Vanderford, declining to acknowledge his same-day resignation and opting instead for dismissal, according to the city clerk.
Vanderford submitted his resignation the same day the board met, but the aldermen declined to acknowledge it and instead moved to fire him, according to the city clerk.
The board’s action follows reporting by The New York Times, Mississippi Today, and Verite News that alleged Vanderford used racist slurs in private text conversations with a colleague. The reporting emerged in the months following a fatal shooting in June by a Senatobia police officer.
Kohen Wiley, one year old, was fatally shot and another woman was wounded after a Senatobia police officer fired into a vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart.
Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, has denied that she or the friend she was with stole anything. No charges have been filed against either woman.