WAPT, HINDS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, UNSOURCED SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, CNN
By Sara Smart and Amy Simonson, CNN
A manhunt is underway for four inmates who escaped from a jail near the Mississippi 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, about 15 miles west of downtown Jackson, realized the four men were missing after a routine count around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the sheriff’s office said. Hinds County Tyree Jones at a news conference Monday.
After the jail was closed, staff found two breaches inside the facility, one in a cell and one in the ceiling, 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 fugitives 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 on Monday before stealing the victim’s red Dodge Ram 1500 pickup 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 unconscious in the road Monday night, Davis said. Investigators determined that the victim had pulled over to the side of the road to help Arrington, who appeared to have crashed a motorcycle that had been stolen moments earlier, Davis said.
Based on information gathered, investigators believe Arrington shot the victim multiple times and then stole his truck, Davis said.
The truck was last seen heading south on Interstate 55. in the nearby town 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 by 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 around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and a witness described two unidentified men in the vehicle, Jones said. Although investigators have not been able to confirm it, they believe the theft is related to the fugitives, he said.
The stolen red Chevy Silverado was last seen Monday morning heading to Rankin County in Mississippi, 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 an administrative and criminal investigation into the leak, Jones said. Once captured, the men now face additional charges of hit and run and possibly carjacking on top of those they were already facing, Jones added.
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CNN’s Jeremy Grisham and Cara-Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.
