Mississippi jail break – latest: Fugitive captured on run as hunt continues for remaining escapees

A huge manhunt is underway to track down the three surviving fugitives still on the run following the Mississippi jail break over the weekend.

Inmates Dylan Arrington, 22, Casey Grayson, 24, Corey Harrison, 22, and Jerry Raynes, 51, escaped from the troubled Raymond Detention Center on Sunday and have been on the run ever since.

One of the escapees – Arrington – allegedly shot and killed 61-year-old pastor Anthony Watts on Monday night after the victim pulled over to help him. Arrington then fled in Watts’ Dodge Ram.

He was tracked down to a home in Leake County on Wednesday morning where he opened fire on law enforcement, shooting an officer in the leg.

The house then went up in flames and Arrington died in the fire, the Hinds County sheriff said.

The other three suspects are still at large, with police releasing a surveillance image still of Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, at around 11am on Sunday morning.

It is unconfirmed if Raynes traveled to Texas alone.

Key points

• Four inmates escape from Mississippi jail

• Pastor shot dead by fugitive inmate

• One inmate dead after firing at officers from burning house

• Surveillance footage captures one escapee in Texas

Police say one of fugitives has been arrested

21:49 , Graeme Massie

The Hinds County Sheriff says that one of the fugitives who escaped a Mississippi prison sparking a massive manhunt has been captured while on the run in Texas.

Prisoner Jerry Raynes was taken into custody in Spring Valley View, in Northwest Harris County on Thursday, according to a tweet from the agency.

Raynes is now being evaluated at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital.

The Mississippi jail’s chequered past

21:29 , Graeme Massie

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.

Slain pastor ‘always wanted to help people’, say friends

20:46 , Graeme Massie

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.

Fugitive Jerry Raynes spotted by surveillance video in Houston-area gas station

15:41 , Graig Graziosi

Jerry Raynes, one of the three surviving fugitives who escaped a prison in Mississippi, was reportedly caught on camera in the Houston area.

The Hinds County Sheriff said Raynes was at a gas station convenience store around 11am on Sunday morning.

Deputies also found an abandoned truck under an overpass they belong may have some connection to Raynes.

What charges did fugitives face?

15:01 , 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.

PICTURED: Fugitives on the run

14:13 , Rachel Sharp

Stolen vehicles used in getaways

13:20 , Rachel Sharp

The escaped inmates have so far used a number of stolen vehicles in their getaways.

Authorities have said that a truck – a red Chevy Silverado – was stolen from close to the jail at around 2.30am on Sunday morning with a witness spotting two men inside the vehicle.

Investigators believe this is connected to the jail break.

Another vehicle – a Hinds County Public Works vehicle – was found abandoned in Spring Valley Village, Texas, after at least one of the fugitives is believed to have used it in his escape.

Surveillance footage has captured Jerry Raynes at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, at around 11am on Sunday morning.

A red Dodge Ram 1500 truck was also stolen when Dylan Arrington allegedly shot pastor Anthony Watts dead and made off in his vehicle.

Investigators search burned home where fugitive died in Mississippi

13:04 , Graeme Massie

Candlelight vigil held for slain pastor

12:40 , Rachel Sharp

A candlelight vigil was held for Anthony Watts on Tuesday night at the church where he has been the lead pastor for the last six years.

Anthony Watts, the 61-year-old pastor of St Mary Missionary Baptist Church in D’Lo, Mississippi, 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.

How the standoff with Dylan Arrington unfolded

12:20 , Rachel Sharp

In a video update on Wednesday, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson outlined what happened during the encounter with fugitive Dylan Arrington.

The sheriff said that officers went to a home where they believed the suspect had been at around 7am that morning.

When they arrived, the homeowner was home and they spoke with him briefly.

The homeowner then entered the residence before running out and saying the suspect was in the house.

Arrington then started shooting at the officers from inside the home, with a bullet striking an officer in the leg, said the sheriff.

More units responded to the address and the suspect allegedly continued to fire on them.

The sheriff said that the home then went up in flames.

Arrington’s body was later confirmed to be found inside.

Fugitives to face additional charges over prison break

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

The three fugitives still on the run will face additional charges over the prison break once they are captured.

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that the men now face additional charges of escape and possibly auto theft.

This is on top of the charge they were already behind bars for.

They were in custody at Raymond Detention Center on a variety of charges including theft, firearm and auto theft charges.

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.