A fire damaged the headquarters of the Senatobia Police Department in Mississippi early Saturday morning, months after the department came under national scrutiny over the fatal shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.
The blaze broke out at approximately 4:30 a.m. at the police headquarters, located about 40 miles south of Memphis. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, but the building
sustained damage.
Despite the incident, department officials said police services remain fully operational and that the fire has not interrupted the agency’s ability to respond to calls or protect residents. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating alongside local authorities.
“We want to assure the public that this incident is being taken extremely seriously,” interim Senatobia Police Chief LaMorris Hampton said in a statement Saturday night.
“Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, certain details cannot be released at this time,” Hampton added. “We understand the concerns this incident may raise within our community and want to reassure our citizens that we remain dedicated to fulfilling our responsibilities with professionalism, integrity, and transparency.”
The fire comes after a turbulent year for the department, which faced intense criticism following the June shooting death of Kohen Wiley.
Senatobia officers and Tate County deputies were responding to a shoplifting report at a local Walmart when they encountered Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend, Latoya Ferrell, leaving the store with the child.
Police said they attempted to stop the vehicle after the driver allegedly moved toward officers. Hunter Foster, a Senatobia police officer, fired into the vehicle, striking Kohen and seriously injuring Ferrell. Vellesiya Wiley was not injured.
Authorities said the officers believed diapers and baby clothes had been stolen from the store. Kohen’s relatives disputed those allegations, and neither Wiley nor Ferrell has been charged in connection with the suspected shoplifting.
The shooting prompted widespread outrage, particularly because the victim was a 1-year-old child. Family members and civil rights attorney Ben Crump argued that the use of deadly force was unjustified and disputed the police account that the vehicle posed an immediate threat to officers.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch later concluded that Foster’s actions were legally justified. The state investigation determined that the officer’s use of force complied with the law.
Foster resigned from the Senatobia Police Department earlier this month, despite being cleared of criminal wrongdoing. His departure did not end calls from Kohen’s family for additional investigation and accountability.
The department also experienced leadership turmoil in September, when former Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired after reports alleged that he used racist slurs in private text messages.
Those controversies had already damaged trust between the police department and some Black residents in Senatobia. The fire now adds another unexplained incident involving the agency and has prompted questions about whether important records or evidence may have been affected.
Authorities have not said what areas of the building were damaged or whether police files, evidence, equipment, or other materials were destroyed. Investigators are expected to determine the origin of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
Officials have not indicated that the blaze was connected to the fatal shooting or the controversies involving the department. The investigation remains active, and authorities said additional information will be released when it can be disclosed without interfering with the case.