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One prisoner dead as Mississippi manhunt continues One prisoner dead as Mississippi manhunt continues
(about 11 hours later)
From left to right: Dylan Arrington, Corey Harrison, Jerry Raynes and Casey GraysonFrom left to right: Dylan Arrington, Corey Harrison, Jerry Raynes and Casey Grayson
One escaped prisoner has died and three others are on the run in the US state of Mississippi, police say. A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail and is believed to have murdered a pastor while on the run has been killed in a police shootout.
Escapee Dylan Arrington, 22, is believed to have murdered a man and stolen his truck. Dylan Arrington, 22, and three other inmates broke out of the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson on Saturday night, police say.
On Wednesday, police said Arrington's body was found in a burned building in the city of Carthage. The suspects reportedly fled via two breaches in the building, including one on the jail's roof.
The four suspects were found missing during a routine headcount at the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson on Sunday, according to authorities. People in the area have been asked to remain vigilant.
At least one of the suspects is believed to have fled to Texas. The four prisoners were reported missing during a routine headcount at the medium security jail in Hinds County.
Along with Arrington, the three criminals have been identified as 51-year-old Jerry Raynes, and Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, both 22. Raynes has a long history of escaping from jail facilities, including the Raymond Detention Center in 2021, according to local authorities. Authorities believe they escaped to the jail's roof by nightfall and may have left the facility at different times.
The men were in custody on a variety of charges, primarily related to thefts. Arrington had been serving time for on firearm and auto theft charges. Along with Arrington, the suspects have been identified as 51-year-old Jerry Raynes, and Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, both 22.
Residents of the area have been told to be on the look-out for the suspects as local, state and federal police conduct their manhunt. The men were in custody on a variety of charges, primarily related to thefts. Raynes has a long history of escaping from jail, including from Raymond two years earlier, according to local authorities.
In a Facebook post, authorities in nearby Leake County asked residents to be "extremely cautious", keep their doors locked and avoid having keys or weapons in parked vehicles. Arrington, who was serving time for firearm and auto theft charges, is considered the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of a local resident - Reverend Anthony Watts, 61.
At a news conference earlier this week, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that after the four were found missing on Sunday, jail authorities discovered two "breaches" in the building, including one on the jail's roof. Police say Rev Watts, the head pastor at a nearby Baptist church, was killed around 19:00 local time on Monday after pulling over to help a man - believed to be Arrington - who had crashed a motorcycle.
Authorities now believe that the suspects escaped to the jail's roof on Saturday and left the facility at various times. The pastor was found dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds and his vehicle, a red truck, had been stolen.
Jackson Police Chief James Davis had called Arrington the prime suspect in the death of local man Anthony Watts, 61. In a statement, daughter Kristin wrote that her father had "meant so much to so many" and "instilled so much into me".
Mr Watts was shot and killed around 19:00 local time on Monday after pulling over to help a man - now believed to be Arrington - who had crashed a motorcycle. He was found dead at the scene and his vehicle, a red truck, was taken. "I will miss him, and I know the days to come will seem very empty, but I know without a doubt where he is," she said.
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones wrote that police had exchanged gunfire with a barricaded suspect believed to be Arrington in the town of Carthage. On Wednesday, police exchanged gunfire with a suspect barricaded inside a home in the city of Carthage.
The Sheriff's Office in Leake County - where Carthage is located - later announced that a police investigator was shot in the leg during the incident. He was taken to hospital where he was stabilised. The sheriff's office in Leake County, where Carthage is located, said the standoff lasted about two hours and the building caught fire during the shooting.
Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson said officers saw smoke coming from inside the house, "and about a few minutes later the house was totally engulfed in flames". A body found inside the charred home was later identified as Arrington.
Following the roughly two-hour stand-off, an "unidentified deceased person" was found in the burned home. A police investigator who was shot in the leg during the incident is now recovering in hospital.
Police said late on Wednesday that the body had been positively identified as Arrington, adding that his cause of death remains under investigation. Residents of Leake County were earlier advised to be "extremely cautious", keep their doors locked and avoid having keys or weapons in parked vehicles.
Another suspect, Jerry Raynes, is believed to have stolen a government public works vehicle, which was later found near Houston, Texas. But at least one of the remaining three suspects may have gone as far as Texas.
Police have released surveillance footage showing Raynes at a petrol station in Spring Valley, Texas, just outside of Houston. Police released surveillance footage showing Jerry Raynes at a petrol station in the city of Spring Valley, just outside of Houston.
In July, a federal judge seized control of the Raymond Detention Center, citing "severely deficient" conditions and a "stunning array" of assaults and deaths among detainees. Raynes is believed to have stolen a government public works vehicle that has since been recovered.
Conditions at the prison the four men escaped from this weekend has faced intense scrutiny over the past year.
In July, a federal judge seized control of Raymond, citing "severely deficient" conditions and a "stunning array" of assaults and deaths among detainees.
A public safety consultant was appointed as a "receiver" by the judge in October, with 120 days to devise a plan to improve conditions.A public safety consultant was appointed as a "receiver" by the judge in October, with 120 days to devise a plan to improve conditions.
The judge's order was stayed by an appeals court in December after local officials asked for the move to be reconsidered.The judge's order was stayed by an appeals court in December after local officials asked for the move to be reconsidered.
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MississippiMississippi
United StatesUnited States