Police department set ablaze after case involving killing of Black toddler

By Sarah Raza

Contributing Writer

SENATOBIA, Miss. (AP) — An early morning arson fire damaged the building of a beleaguered police department here that’s drawn community outrage after a white police officer shot and killed a 1-year-old Black toddler as he lay in his mother’s arms.

It was unclear what caused the fire at the headquarters of the Senatobia Police Department early Oct. 31. 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, local fire officials said, and crews quickly extinguish the blaze. No damages reports were provided.

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 was inside the vehicle sitting with his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, when the shots were fired. Wiley was unharmed, but the driver — Latoya Ferrell — was seriously injured. The two women denied having stolen anything, and no charges have been filed against them.

In September, police chief Harold Vanderford was fired after the New York Times and other outlets reported that he used racist slurs in private text messages. The shooting officer, Sgt. Hunter Foster, resigned last month but was cleared of criminal wrongdoing when the Mississippi Attorney General’s office concluded his use of force had been justified.

Some community activists contend that Foster should have been fired and not allowed to resign and collect a pension. Others say the firing might have discouraged other police departments from hiring Foster, who had a history of racial insensitivity and federal civil rights litigation prior to the 2026 shooting, according to public records.

Wave staff contributed to this report.