A suspect was arrested across state lines after an alleged arson fire at the Senatobia Police Department headquarters, law enforcement announced.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody Monday in Huntsville, Ala. The New Orleans Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Explosives announced that its special agents were assisted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Huntsville Police Department in apprehending the suspect.
According to the Senatobia Police Department, the fire broke out at its headquarters around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. The building was damaged but did not disrupt operations.
The blaze came as tensions in Senatobia remain high after 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was killed in an officer-involved shooting over the summer.
While the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office ruled last month that excessive force by police during the incident was justified under state law, the ripple effect of the incident has included several protests in the area and the former Senatobia police chief being fired over allegations of racist text messages. The officer who shot Wiley, Sgt. Hunter Foster, also resigned.
As of Monday evening, law enforcement has not said if there is an established connection between the two incidents.
The fire is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Mississippi, according to ATF New Orleans. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact ATF at 1-88-283-8477.