Search underway for 4 men who escaped a Mississippi jail – including one suspected of killing a man after the getaway, police say
CNN —
A manhunt is underway for four men who escaped from a jail near Mississippi’s capital over the weekend, one of whom is suspected of killing a man and stealing his truck after he fled, authorities say.
Staff at the Raymond Detention Center, some 15 miles west of downtown Jackson, realized the four men were missing after a routine headcount around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a news conference on Monday.
After the jail was placed on lockdown, staff found two breaches inside the facility – one in a cell and another in the roof, the sheriff said. Authorities believe the group climbed onto the roof around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, camped there, and left the property at different times, he said.
The escapees are Dylan Arrington, 22; Casey Grayson, 24; Corey Harrison, 22; and Jerry Raynes, 51, authorities said.
Arrington is suspected of shooting and killing a man in Jackson Monday before stealing the victim’s red Dodge Ram 1500 truck and driving away, Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis said in a statement.
Police officers who were called to the scene found the victim lying unresponsive in the roadway on Monday evening, Davis said. Investigators determined the victim had pulled over on the side of the road to help Arrington, who appeared to have wrecked a motorcycle that had been stolen moments earlier, Davis said.
Based on information gathered, investigators believe Arrington shot the victim several times and then stole his truck, Davis said.
The truck was last seen heading south on Interstate 55 in the nearby city of Terry, Mississippi, Davis said. “This suspect is considered to be armed and dangerous,” he added.
At least one of the other men is believed to have escaped in a vehicle to Texas, the sheriff said.
A witness reported seeing a Hinds County Public Works vehicle crash through a gate around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jones said. That vehicle was later found abandoned more than 400 miles away in Spring Valley Village, Texas, he said.
Another truck was stolen near the detention center at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, and a witness described two unidentified men in the vehicle, Jones said. Though investigators have not been able confirm it, they believe that theft is connected to the escapees, he said.
The stolen red Chevy Silverado was last seen Monday morning headed into Mississippi’s Rankin County, which is east of Jackson, he said.
As of Tuesday, none of the four had been captured.
“We are actively and aggressively looking for these individuals, and we hope to have them back in custody soon,” Jones said.
The sheriff’s office is conducting both an administrative and criminal investigation into the escape, Jones said. Once captured, the men now face additional charges of escape and possibly auto theft in addition to those they were already facing, Jones added.
Source: CNN
