Alabama man charged in arson of Mississippi police headquarters

Garrick Rawls, a resident of Huntsville, Alabama, was charged Monday with federal arson in connection with a fire that damaged the Senatobia Police Department headquarters. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, October 31, in Senatobia, Mississippi.

Rawls, who identifies as a civil rights activist, traveled more than 220 miles from his home to the small Mississippi town. A federal affidavit signed by Special Agent Joshua Garrett of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions describes Rawls as highly active in the community following the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. Prosecutors have not yet detailed a specific motive for the fire.

Security footage shows a masked man in dark clothing breaking a window at the police station just after 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. The suspect emptied a canister into the lobby, exited the building, and ignited the contents. The resulting explosion knocked the man into the street, leaving parts of his body and backpack on fire. He managed to extinguish the flames and fled on foot.

Investigators recovered a partially burned boot, latex gloves, a hammer, and a gas can nozzle at the scene. Community members assisted in identifying Rawls. Agents located him in Huntsville on Monday, where he was wearing a large bandage and walking with a limp.

The fire follows months of protests in Senatobia regarding the death of Kohen Wiley. The toddler was killed in June when a police officer fired into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call. Wiley’s mother was unharmed, and her friend, who was also in the vehicle, sustained serious injuries. The women denied stealing, and no charges have been filed against them. A state investigation found no criminal wrongdoing by the officer, though the family maintains the use of force was unjustified.

Video shared by another activist shows Rawls attending a candlelit vigil for Wiley in Senatobia on Friday night, the evening before the fire. A federal public defender representing Rawls did not immediately respond to requests for comment.