A jailbreak, a murder and a shoot-out with police: What we know about hunt for Mississippi escaped inmates
Four inmates escaped from the Raymond Detention Center over the weekend, with guards only discovering the prisoners were missing during a Sunday headcount.
One of the escaped fugitives died in a house fire after killing a Good Samaritan pastor who had stopped to help him, and wounding a police officer after a Mississippi jailbreak.
As of Wednesday 26 April, the three others remained on the run.
Here is what we know about the escape and the hunt for the prisoners.
Who are the suspects on the run?
The suspects on the run have been identified as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51.
Dylan Arrington is suspected of murder and was charged with auto theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to KTRK.
Corey Harrison was charged with receiving stolen property. Casey Grayson was charged with grand larceny and sale of a controlled substance, and Jerry Raynes was charged with auto theft and burglary of a business.
Officials say that after the headcount revealed missing prisoners at the weekend, the jail was placed in lockdown and guards found two breaches, one in a cell and another in the roof.
Authorities believe that the men climbed out onto the roof at around 8.30pm on Saturday and camped up there before leaving at separate times, reported CNN.
Pastor killed after stopping to help one prisoner
Police say that Dylan Arrington fatally shot 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help the fugitive, who had wrecked a motorcycle he had previously stolen.
Arrington then allegedly stole Watts’ Dodge Ram and fled the scene.
Watts was the pastor at St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in D’Lo, Mississippi.
On Wednesday morning, authorities in Leake County said in a statement that a suspect believed to be Arrington was barricaded inside a home on Conway Road. The house became engulfed in flames and the man fired shots from inside the residence, striking a law enforcement official in the leg.
“The suspect was located at the residence on 2511 Conway Rd early Wednesday morning. At around 7.10am the suspect shot from within his location in the home striking Investigator Horn in the lower right leg,” said Leake County Sheriff’s Office.
“Horn was transported to Leake Baptist where he was stabilized. The situation continued for roughly two hours before it was resolved. Deputy Horn was the only officer from any agency injured in the incident and is currently stable.”
The suspect died in the incident according to WJTV, while the officer is recovering from his injuries.
Leake County Coroner Earl Adams told CNN that it will take time to formally identify the body found in the house and stated that he is not able to even give a preliminary cause of death.
“I have never seen a situation where a structure was engulfed in flames and an individual inside of the structure started firing shots at law enforcement on the exterior,” Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones told WAPT.
“This individual had violence on his mind and I will say that I believe that he did not intend to leave here alive today.”
Fugitive spotted at Texas service station
Meanwhile, surveillance video showed fugitive Jerry Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, on Sunday, 23 April at 11am, say officials.
A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley on Sunday.
It is not known if the other three remaining fugitives are with him.
“I am not sure of (if) it’s because of ties in the area of if they’re trying to get across the border at some point,” the sheriff said.
Hinds County deputies are also still searching for Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, who escaped with Raynes and Arrington.
Investigation and new charges pending
The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office is now conducting an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Sheriff Jones said. Once they are recaptured the inmates will face additional charges of escape and also possibly auto theft.
Jerry Raynes captured on the run in Texas
One of the four fugitives who escaped a Mississippi prison sparking a massive manhunt across the region was captured while on the run in Texas on Thursday 27 April, according to officials.
Prisoner Jerry Raynes was taken into custody in Spring Valley View, in Northwest Harris County on Thursday, according to a tweet from Mississippi’s Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.
Raynes is now being evaluated at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, says the agency.
“Escapee Jerry Raynes is in custody in Spring Valley, TX. USMFTF, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Spring Valley PD assisted with the capture. Raynes will be held facing extradition back to MS. Investigation is still ongoing,” HCSO tweeted.
