Court records reveal new details in Halloween arson at Senatobia Police Department

SENATOBIA, Miss. (WMC) - New federal court records are shedding light on how investigators tracked down and arrested a suspect accused of setting fire to the Senatobia Police Department on Halloween.

Garrick Rex Rawls faces a federal charge of arson following the early Saturday morning fire, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

Federal authorities allege that around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, a masked intruder used a hammer to break into the police station. Once inside, the suspect poured flammable liquid throughout the lobby and ignited it. The fire sparked an explosion that knocked the suspect backward and caused injuries to his leg.

Before fleeing the scene, the suspect left behind several key pieces of physical evidence, including a burned Tommy Hilfiger boot, latex gloves, a hammer, and a gas can nozzle.

With the help of community tips and surveillance footage, investigators identified Rawls as the suspect. Court records show Rawls had been an active participant in local protests and vigils following the death of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, who was fatally shot by Senatobia police earlier this year.

Law enforcement officials tracked Rawls to a hotel in Batesville, Mississippi, and later used cellular location pings to trace his travel east to Huntsville, Alabama.

Huntsville police, alongside the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), arrested Rawls on Monday. Investigators noted that at the time of his arrest, Rawls had a bandage wrapped around his leg, walked with a severe limp, and wore no shoes or socks—matching the physical evidence recovered from the burned lobby.

The arson occurred amid lingering community tension over Wiley’s death, which was ruled justified by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office last month. While officials previously noted that no official link had been drawn between the fire and Wiley’s death, federal documents now place Rawls at recent demonstrations surrounding the case.

A preliminary and detention hearing is set for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, November 5, at the U.S. Courthouse in Huntsville. If Rawls plans to waive the hearing, his attorney must file a written waiver at least one business day before it, the order says.

Below is the full federal complaint:

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