The police chief of Senatobia, Mississippi, has been fired after racist text messages he sent were revealed last month, adding to scrutiny surrounding the department following the June fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
Police Chief Harold “Hal” Vanderford’s firing came Tuesday (September 1), days after Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times reported that Vanderford repeatedly used the N-word and other racist language in private text messages.
The messages, which were published by Verite News Tuesday, span July 2025 through April 2026.
In one text, Vanderford wrote that he had “almost beat a n****r and white woman’s a** a few minutes ago.” In another, he described having a “racist moment.”
Vanderford also wrote about repeatedly saying the N-word loudly enough for his neighbors to hear.
“I’m sure the niggers in the neighborhood are upset with me. I have screamed, ‘F***ING N****R!!!’ 15 times,” Vanderford wrote.
Verite News reported the messages were provided by a colleague of Vanderford’s. Five of his acquaintances confirmed that the phone number associated with the messages belonged to him. Vanderford has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
After meeting with Vanderford on August 25, the mayor and board of aldermen initially expressed “confidence” in the chief and described his responses to their questions as “sincere,” according to Action News 5.
Five days later, Alderman Allen Tanksley distanced himself from that statement.
“Let the record show, truth be told, I, Allen Tanksley, did not agree with that statement and had no part of that statement,” Tanksley said.
The chief submitted his resignation Tuesday, but the city’s board of aldermen rejected it and voted unanimously to terminate him, according to Mississippi Today and Verite News.
Alderman Demetrius Garrett also said he “personally asked” Mayor Greg Graves to resign.
“We need a mayor that cares about the people,” Garrett said. “You land yourself in situations like this.”
The firing comes as the Senatobia Police Department faces continued questions over the June 14 shooting death of Kohen, a Black 1-year-old who was inside a vehicle when police responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart.
Sgt. Hunter Foster, the officer who fired the shots, was placed on leave two days after the shooting. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is still investigating.
Vanderford has said nothing publicly about Kohen’s death, and the child’s family said the chief never offered them condolences privately, according to The New York Times.
His firing marks the second time in 14 months that Senatobia has removed its police chief, according to The New York Times. Lt. Angelica Maze will lead the department while city leaders search for a permanent replacement.
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