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A blaze tore Saturday through the HQ of a Mississippi police department that has faced public scrutiny after an officer fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in June in what authorities controversially determined was a justified use of force.
The fire broke out at the troubled Senatobia Police Department headquarters — located 40 miles south of Memphis — around 4:30 a.m. and was quickly extinguished.
Despite damage to the building from the blaze, the department said it remains operational without any interruption to police services.
Senatobia Police came under fire within the community earlier this year after an officer fatally shot 1-year-old Kohen Wiley while investigating a shoplifting call at a Walmart in June.
Police had suspected that the boy’s mom, Vellesiya Wiley, and her friend, Latoya Ferrell, were stealing diapers and baby clothes from the megastore.
Officers say they tried to stop the vehicle as the driver allegedly drove toward them, prompting the cop to open fire, tragically killing the 1-year-old.
The toddler’s mother was unharmed while Ferrell was seriously injured.
Relatives disputed speculations that Kohen’s mother and friend swiped the diapers and no charges have been filed against them.
Earlier this month, the officer involved in the shooting resigned from his post but had been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the state’s Attorney General’s office after its probe determined his use of force was justified.
Then, in September, the department’s police chief Harold Vanderford was axed after reports surfaced that he used racist slurs in private text messages.
It remains unclear what ignited the fire Saturday morning and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the circumstances alongside local agencies.
“We want to assure the public that this incident is being taken extremely seriously,” the department’s interim 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,” the statement continued.
“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.”
With Post wires.
