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Prosecutors have not outlined a motive, but a federal law
enforcement affidavit describes Rawls as “a civil rights
activist who has been extremely active in the Senatobia
community following the death of Kohen Wiley,” the 1-year-old
boy.
Wiley was killed in June when a Senatobia police officer fired
his gun into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting
call. The boy was in the vehicle with his mother, who was
unharmed, and her friend, who was seriously injured. The women
denied having stolen anything, and no charges have been filed
against them. A state investigation found no criminal wrongdoing
by the officer, but Wiley's family has argued the use of force
was unjustified.
Friday night before the fire, Rawls can be seen in another
activist’s social media video attending a candlelit vigil for
Wiley in Senatobia, according to an affidavit signed by Special
Agent Joshua Garrett of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency.
A federal public defender for Rawls did not immediately respond
to a request for comment.
Security cameras recorded a man in a mask and dark clothing
smashing through a window of the police headquarters just after
4:30 a.m. Saturday, the affidavit says. The man reportedly
empties a canister in the lobby, exits and then ignites it,
setting off an explosion that propels him into the street, with
several body parts on fire. He tries to put out the flames on
his body and backpack before fleeing on foot.
Investigators found a partially burned boot, latex gloves, a
hammer and a nozzle from a gas can at the scene. Community
members helped them identify Rawls, who on Monday was wearing a
large bandage and walking with a limp when agents found him in
Huntsville, according to the affidavit.
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