Four inmates who broke out of a Mississippi prison are being sought by police, one of whom is now suspected of killing a man while evading capture.
Authorities claim that the defendants were discovered to be missing on Sunday during a regular headcount at the Raymond Detention Center outside of Jackson.
Dylan Arrington, 22, one of the suspects, is now suspected of killing a man and stealing his truck.
It’s thought that at least one of the accused fled to Texas.
The suspects, in addition to Dylan Arrington, have been named as Casey Grayson, 22, Corey Harrison, and 51-year-old Jerry Raynes. According to local authorities, Mr. Raynes has a long history of escape from correctional institutions, including the Raymond Detention Center in 2021.
The males were being held on several offenses, most of which were theft-related. On suspicion of auto and handgun theft, Mr. Arrington was in custody.
As local, state, and federal police begin their manhunt, locals have been advised to keep a lookout for the suspects.
Authorities in the neighboring Leake County warned citizens to be “extremely cautious,” keep their doors secured, and avoid keeping keys or weapons in parked cars in a Facebook post.
The four were reported missing on Sunday, and jail officials discovered two “breaches” in the structure after that, including one on the jail’s roof, according to Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, who spoke at a news conference earlier this week.
Authorities now think that the suspects left the jail on Saturday at various times after making their way to the roof.
According to James Davis, the chief of police in Jackson, Mr. Harrington is now the main suspect in the 61-year-old local man Anthony Watts’ killing.
After stopping to assist a guy who had crashed a motorcycle, who is now thought to be Mr. Arrington, Mr. Watts was shot and killed on Monday night at around 7 o’clock local time. He was discovered dead there, and his truck, a red one, is still gone.
On Wednesday, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said on Twitter that officers and a suspect who was barricaded and thought to be Mr. Arrington had engaged in gunfire.
An “unidentified deceased person” was discovered in the burning house after the gunfight. If Mr. Arrington is deceased, it is not yet known.
A second person is suspected of stealing a public works truck that was later discovered close to Houston, Texas.
A federal judge took over the Raymond Detention Center in July due to “severely deficient” facilities and a “stunning array” of assaults and fatalities among inmates.
The judge designated a public safety expert as a “receiver” in October, giving them 120 days to come up with a strategy to make things better.
Following a request for the decision to be reevaluated by local officials, an appeals court in December delayed the judge’s order.
