Mississippi jail break - live: Fugitive seen in Texas as another dies in burning house after murder of pastor
Four inmates escaped from a Mississippi jail over the weekend, including one who then allegedly killed a good Samaritan before himself dying during a confrontation with law enforcement.
Jail supervisors at the troubled Raymond Detention Center learned about the escape during a headcount on Sunday noon, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said during a press conference. The suspects on the run were identified as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51.
Police said 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.
On Wednesday morning, authorities in Leake County said in a statement that a suspect believed to be Arrington 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 died according to WJTV, while the officer is recovering from his injuries.
Key Points
Fugitive who escaped jail with three other inmates believed dead
Sheriff says one fugitive believed to be in Texas
Slain pastor ‘always wanted to help people’, say friends
11:40 , Rachel Sharp
The Good Samaritan pastor who was shot dead for trying to help one of the escaped inmates “always wanted to help people”, according to his friends.
Pastor Anthony Watts, 61, was killed on Monday night when he pulled over to help Dylan Arrington, after the inmate got into a motorcycle wreck during his time on the run.
Arrington then stole Watts’ Dodge Ram and fled.
Close friends of Watts – who was the lead pastor at St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in D’Lo, Mississippi – paid tribute to him as someone who always wanted to look out for others.
“That was the type of person he was. He always wanted to help. Always wanted to know what he can do whatever the circumstance may be,” Karen Fairley told WAPT.
“He always told you he loved you and his spirit was so sincere, so kind, and so loving to just everyone he came in contact with.”
She said she can understand why he stopped to help the escaped inmate as that was who he was.
“The action that happened, we could understand why he did it, because that was just in his nature,” said Ms Fairley, whose father is an associate minister at the church.
The Mississippi jail’s chequered past
11:20 , Rachel Sharp
Raymond Detention Center had a chequered past long before four inmates escaped over the weekend.
Last summer, deficiencies in supervision and staffing, and “a stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths” prompted a judge to order a takeover of the detention centre, according to the Associated Press.
Seven people died last year while detained at the jail, according to US District Judge Carlton Reeves said. Judge Reeves wrote in his ruling that cell doors did not lock and a lack of lighting in cells made life “miserable for the detainees who live there and prevents guards from adequately surveilling detainees.”
He also said guards sometimes slept instead of monitoring the cameras in the control room.
But before an appointed receiver was scheduled to assume control over the jail this year, a court of appeals halted the lower court’s order until it ruled on the county’s motion for reconsideration.
Investigations launched into Mississippi jail break
11:00 , Rachel Sharp
Investigations have been launched into the Mississippi jail break which has now culminated in two deaths – one of an innocent Good Samaritan and the second of one of the four inmates.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that both an administrative and criminal investigation is underway as authorities seek to determine how the inmates were able to break free from the facility.
How the prison break unfolded
10:40 , Rachel Sharp
Details are still emerging about how the four inmates managed to escape from Raymond Detention Center on Sunday.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a press conference on Monday that two breaches had been found inside the jail – one inside a cell and the other in the roof.
The four escapees are believed to have managed to climb onto the roof at around 8.30pm on Saturday night and camped up there, before leaving the facility at different times.
The jail break was discovered at around 12.30am on Sunday morning during a routine head count and the facility was instantly plunged into lockdown.
PICTURED: Good Samaritan pastor shot dead for trying to help escaped inmate
10:20 , Rachel Sharp
The Good Samaritan pastor shot dead for trying to help one of the escaped inmates has been pictured.
Pastor Anthony Watts, 61, was killed on Monday night when he pulled over to help Dylan Arrington, after the inmate got into a motorcycle wreck during his time on the run.
Arrington then stole Watts’ Dodge Ram and fled.
Leake County Sheriff’s Office gives details of shooting
10:00 , Graeme Massie
Fugitive who escaped jail with three other inmates and ‘killed good Samaritan’ believed dead
09:01 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Police said Dylan Arrington, 22, fatally shot Anthony Watts, 61, on Monday night and injured an officer during a standoff with law enforcement on Wednesday.
Fugitive who ‘killed good Samaritan’ and injured officer believed dead, police say
Sheriff says one fugitive believed to be in Texas
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said one of the escaped detainees has been spotted in Spring Valley, Texas.
Sheriff Jones said surveillance video showed Jerry Raynes at a service station on Sunday, 23 April at 11.00am. A stolen Hinds County maintenance truck was also recovered in Spring Valley on Sunday.
It is not known if the other 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.
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Suspects were named by officials as Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51.
Arrington is reportedly dead after a confrontation with law enforcement.
Leake County residents asked to be ‘extremely cautious’
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Leake County authorities asked residents to be “extremely cautious”, keep their doors locked and avoid having keys or weapons in parked vehicles.
“If you have suspicions of a trespasser on your property, please notify the Sheriff’s Office, appose to taking matters into your own hands. If you hear noises, see something/someone, please notify us,” the Leake County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff’s Office yet to confirm presence of others inside the burning house
05:47 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Authorities are yet to specify whether there were others in the Conway Road home that was engulfed in flames during a shootout with the deputies.
The “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 a local news station.
“I believe (the person inside the home) did not intend to leave here alive today.”
Fugitive’s remains identified from burning house
04:59 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The remains recovered in the burned structure in Carthage, Mississippi, have been identified as one of the escapees, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office confirmed last evening.
Dylan Arrington, 22, 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.
The suspect then barricaded inside a home on Conway Road and set it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies, authorities said.
The cause of death is under investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Pictures from scene of confrontation with armed fugitive
04:04 , Graeme Massie
What charges did fugitives face?
02:10 , Graeme Massie
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.
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.
A jailbreak, a murder and a shoot-out with police: What we know about hunt for Mississippi fugitives
01:05 , Graeme Massie
Four prisoners went missing from the Raymond Detention Center at the weekend – one is dead but three remain on the run, while a Good Samaritan who stopped to help one of them was shot and killed.
What we know about hunt for escaped Mississippi prisoners
Fugitive seen in Houston area
Thursday 27 April 2023 00:03 , Graeme Massie
Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:45 , Graeme Massie
Police said Dylan Arrington, 22, fatally shot Anthony Watts, 61, on Monday night and injured an officer during a standoff with law enforcement on Wednesday.
Mississippi prison escape blog
Wednesday 26 April 2023 21:00 , Graeme Massie
This is a live blog covering the Mississippi jail break that has seen one fugitive killed and three still on the loose.
