Alabama Activist Charged With Arson at Mississippi Police Headquarters

Federal agents charged Garrick Rawls, a 32-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama, with arson on Monday. The charge stems from a fire that destroyed the lobby of the Senatobia, Mississippi, police headquarters on the night of Halloween. Rawls, who identifies himself online as a civil rights activist, traveled more than 220 miles to the small town where a local officer shot a toddler in June.

Security footage captured the incident just after 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. A man wearing a mask and dark clothing smashed through a window of the station. He emptied a canister in the lobby, exited the building, and ignited the substance. The resulting explosion threw the man into the street. Several parts of his body were on fire as he attempted to extinguish the flames on his skin 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 identify Rawls based on his appearance and injuries. When federal agents located him in Huntsville on Monday, he was wearing a large bandage and walking with a limp.

The fire occurred months after the death of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old boy. In June, a Senatobia police officer fired his weapon into a moving vehicle while responding to a report of shoplifting. Wiley was riding in the car with his mother and her friend. The mother was unharmed, but the friend sustained serious injuries. Both women denied stealing items, and no criminal charges were filed against them.

A state investigation concluded the officer committed no criminal wrongdoing. The Wiley family disputes that finding, arguing the use of force was unjustified. Protests have continued in Senatobia since the shooting. A federal law enforcement affidavit signed by Special Agent Joshua Garrett of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives describes Rawls as an activist who became highly active in the community after Wiley's death.

Video from another activist shows Rawls attending a candlelight vigil for Wiley on Friday night, the evening before the fire. Prosecutors have not specified a motive for the arson. A federal public defender representing Rawls did not respond to a request for comment immediately after the charges were filed.