Mississippi cop out of job after arrest of 10-year-old Black boy who urinated in public

SENATOBIA, Miss. — A police officer in Mississippi who took a 10-year-old Black boy into custody after he urinated in a parking lot is no longer with the police force, according to the police chief.

A 10-year-old Black boy was taken into custody by Senatobia Police Department in August 2023 for urinating in a parking lot without his parent present. (Credit: Screenshot - WREG) — A 10-year-old Black boy was taken into custody by Senatobia Police Department in August 2023 for urinating in a parking lot without his parent present. (Credit: Screenshot – WREG)

On Monday, Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler announced in a Facebook post that the officer was no longer with the department. He also said the other officers involved in the arrest and jailing of the boy would face some type of disciplinary action, but did not go into further detail. Chandler did not specify if the officer was fired or quit.

Many in the community were outraged over the arrest and called for police accountability.

The incident occurred on Aug. 10 when the boy’s mother was visiting a lawyer’s office. The boy was behind her vehicle urinating when police approached the boy and took him into custody.

The mother told WREG her son didn’t expose himself while he was urinating.

Last week, a witness told WREG several police cruisers responded to the incident. Per a WREG report on Aug. 16, the mother was considering legal action over the incident.

Chandler said the boy was not handcuffed or charged, but said the officers issued a citation for a “child in need of services.” The status of the citation is not known.

More about the incident can be found here.