(Headline USA) An arson Saturday morning damaged the building of a beleaguered police department in Mississippi that has drawn outrage from the community in recent months after an officer shot and killed a 1-year-old, authorities said.
It was unclear what caused the fire at the headquarters of the Senatobia Police Department. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local agencies are investigating.
Firefighters were dispatched to the city’s police department at 4:58 a.m. to respond to smoke in the building, the Senatobia Fire Department said in a statement, and crews were able to quickly knock out the fire. There were no details on the damage.
The Senatobia Police Department ignited anger in the community of 8,000 after an officer fired into a vehicle and killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in June while investigating a shoplifting call at a Walmart.
Wiley, who is Black, was in the vehicle with his mother, who was unharmed, and her friend, who was seriously injured. The two women denied having stolen anything, and no charges have been filed against them.
Earlier this month, the officer involved in the shooting resigned, though he was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office after its probe concluded his use of force had been justified.
Senatobia is about 40 miles south of Memphis.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
