Federal authorities have arrested a suspect following a suspected arson attack at a Mississippi police department already facing intense scrutiny over the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, whose death sparked months of protests and demands for accountability.
The fire broke out early Saturday, October 31, at the Senatobia Police Department headquarters, just months after an officer shot and killed the Black toddler during a police response to a reported shoplifting incident at Walmart.
On Monday, November 2, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced that agents located and arrested a suspect in Huntsville, Alabama, with assistance from local police and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect or announced specific charges. Investigators also have not established whether the suspected arson was connected to Kohen Wiley’s death or the protests that followed.
According to the Senatobia Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched at approximately 4:58 a.m. after smoke was discovered inside the police headquarters. Crews quickly extinguished the flames, preventing the fire from spreading further.
No injuries were reported, although the building sustained damage. Police operations reportedly continued at the headquarters following the incident.
The ATF’s New Orleans Field Division is leading the investigation, with assistance from state and local agencies. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office also announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and arson conviction.
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The fire comes during an especially painful period for the family of Kohen Wiley.
On June 14, 2026, Senatobia police officers responded to a reported shoplifting incident at Walmart involving two women. Kohen was inside a vehicle with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and another woman when officers approached.
Body camera footage shows officers approaching the vehicle with their weapons drawn. The driver reversed, striking another parked vehicle, before moving forward.
Senatobia Police Sgt. Hunter Foster stepped toward the front of the moving vehicle and fired his weapon through the passenger-side window, where Kohen was sitting on his mother’s lap.
The toddler was fatally struck by gunfire. Another woman inside the vehicle suffered serious injuries, while Kohen’s mother survived.
Both women denied stealing merchandise, and neither has been charged in connection with the suspected shoplifting incident.
Kohen Wiley’s killing immediately triggered outrage in Senatobia, a city of approximately 8,000 residents located about 40 miles south of Memphis.
Community members organized demonstrations demanding answers about why officers fired into a vehicle carrying a child and whether the shooting could have been prevented.
The department faced additional controversy after investigations by The New York Times, Mississippi Today, and Verite News uncovered private text messages allegedly containing repeated racist slurs from then-Police Chief Harold Vanderford.
In September, city officials unanimously voted to fire Vanderford.
The controversy intensified again on October 19, when Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office announced that its investigation had determined Foster’s use of force was justified.
Foster’s attorney maintained that the officer fired because he believed the approaching vehicle threatened his safety.
However, a separate examination of available footage by policing experts raised questions about the officer’s positioning and tactical decisions.
Foster subsequently resigned from the Senatobia Police Department in October.
For Kohen Wiley’s family, the state’s decision not to pursue criminal charges did not end their fight for accountability.
The suspected arson occurred during the weekend when Kohen would have celebrated his second birthday.
On Saturday, community organizers honored the toddler through a giveaway distributing diapers, wipes, food, and other essential supplies to families.
Two days later, Kohen’s parents and community activists traveled to Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office in Jackson, demanding an explanation for the decision clearing Foster.
Fitch was not present, but members of her staff met with the group.
Kohen’s father, Davion Williams, described the emotional toll of marking his son’s birthday without him.
“It’s hard. It’s just hard to even express and talk about,” Williams told the Associated Press. “Now we have to keep his name alive.”
Meanwhile, Senatobia’s interim police chief, LaMorris Hampton, has reassured residents that the department remains committed to serving the community while investigators examine the fire.
The arrest represents a development in the suspected arson investigation, but authorities have not disclosed a motive or established any relationship between the incident and the fatal shooting.
