Arson charge filed against Alabama man over Mississippi police fire

Garrick Rawls, a resident of Huntsville, Alabama, was charged with federal arson on Monday. The charge stems from a fire that damaged the Senatobia police headquarters in Mississippi on Halloween night. Rawls lives more than 220 miles away from the small town where the incident occurred.

Federal prosecutors did not specify a motive for the fire. However, an affidavit signed by Special Agent Joshua Garrett of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions describes Rawls as a civil rights activist. The document notes he was extremely active in the Senatobia community following the death of Kohen Wiley. Rawls has identified himself as a civil rights activist on social media.

Wiley was a 1-year-old boy killed in June. A Senatobia police officer shot into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call. The boy was riding with his mother and a friend. The mother was unharmed, and the friend was seriously injured. The women denied stealing items, and no criminal charges were filed against them. A state investigation concluded the officer committed no criminal wrongdoing, but the Wiley family argued the use of force was unjustified.

Security cameras recorded the events of the fire just after 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. A man wearing a mask and dark clothing smashed a window at the police headquarters. He emptied a canister in the lobby, exited the building, and ignited the contents. The resulting explosion propelled him into the street, leaving several parts of his body on fire. He attempted to extinguish the flames on his body and backpack before fleeing on foot.

Investigators recovered a partially burned boot, latex gloves, a hammer, and a gas can nozzle at the scene. Community members helped authorities identify Rawls. Agents located him in Huntsville on Monday. At that time, he was wearing a large bandage and walking with a limp. A federal public defender for Rawls did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The fire occurred in the same building that has faced protests in recent months. The building serves as the headquarters for the department involved in the shooting of Kohen Wiley. The arson charge is a federal offense. The affidavit details the physical evidence found at the scene and the timeline of the suspect's actions as recorded by cameras.