Federal officials investigate suspected arson at beleaguered police department in Mississippi

ATF New Orleans Field Division/AP

A suspected 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.

The Associated Press has reached out to the fire department, police department, and the Tate County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

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.

In September, the police chief was fired after reporting by The New York Times, Mississippi Today and Verite News alleged that he used racist slurs in private text messages. 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.

美国烟酒枪械管理局新奥尔良分局/美联社

当局称，周六上午，密西西比州一栋饱受争议的警察局大楼遭到疑似纵火破坏。近几个月来，一名警官枪杀了一名 1 岁儿童，引发了当地社区的强烈愤慨。

塞纳托比亚警察局总部发生火灾的原因尚不清楚。美国烟酒枪炮及爆炸物管理局和当地执法机构正在进行调查。

美联社已联系消防部门、警察局和泰特县警长办公室征求意见。

塞纳托比亚消防局在一份声明中表示，凌晨4点58分，消防员接到报警前往市警察局处理一起大楼冒烟的事件，并迅速扑灭了火灾。目前尚无关于损失的详细信息。

今年 6 月，塞纳托比亚警察局一名警官在沃尔玛超市调查一起盗窃案时，向一辆汽车开枪，导致 1 岁的科恩·威利 (Kohen Wiley) 死亡，这一事件激起了这个拥有 8000 名居民的社区的愤怒。

身为黑人的威利当时与他的母亲同在车内，他的母亲安然无恙，而他母亲的朋友则身受重伤。这两名女子否认偷窃任何东西，目前尚未对她们提出任何指控。

9月，《纽约时报》、《今日密西西比》和《真理新闻》报道称，该警察局长在私人短信中使用种族歧视性语言，随后被解雇。本月初，涉案警官辞职，但密西西比州总检察长办公室的调查结果显示，他使用武力是正当的，因此他没有犯罪记录。

塞纳托比亚位于孟菲斯以南约 40 英里处。