Federal authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with an arson attack that damaged the Senatobia Police Department headquarters in Mississippi.
The fire broke out early Saturday morning. Firefighters responded just before 5 a.m. and extinguished the flames, the Senatobia Fire Department stated. The department reported damage to the building but assured the community that police services would continue without interruption. "Public safety remains unaffected and our officers remain committed to serving and protecting the community," the department said.
Interim Police Chief LaMorris Hampton described the incident as arson and confirmed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was leading the investigation. By Monday, the ATF's New Orleans branch announced an arrest, stating that special agents, along with officers from the Huntsville Police Department and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, located the suspect in Huntsville, Alabama.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet disclosed the suspect's identity, the charges filed, or the motive for the attack. The Senatobia Police Department expressed gratitude for community support and cooperation that aided investigators.
The incident follows a period of community outrage after an officer fatally shot one-year-old Kohen Wiley in June. The shooting occurred during a response to a shoplifting call at a Walmart, where the infant's mother and another individual were accused of stealing diapers.
Footage of the incident showed officers surrounding a vehicle from which the mother and another woman were attempting to flee. Officer Hunter Foster, 32, fired several shots into the vehicle, fatally striking 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in the torso and critically injuring the driver. Foster's attorney stated the officer fired because the driver was attempting to harm the officers. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that Foster and other officers involved would not face charges, deeming the shooting justified.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, criticized the decision, calling the shooting excessive and arguing that officers should not have drawn their weapons for an alleged misdemeanor shoplifting case. It was also reported that Foster had previously been disciplined for an alleged racist remark and faced a lawsuit alleging excessive force during a traffic stop, though that lawsuit was dismissed.