On Wednesday morning, Dylan Arrington, one of four inmates escaped from Mississippi’s Raymond Detention Center on Saturday night, shot and wounded a police officer.
The Leake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) took to Facebook to release an image of Arrington and to warn local residents to be on the lookout for potential trespassers on their properties as the search for the suspect got underway.
The only officer injured in the process was Deputy Horn, who is currently stable. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is now continuing to look into the incident.
When police tracked Arrington down, he had barricaded himself in a home.That home was on fire upon arrival. As fire crews worked to put out the blaze engulfing the house, it was believed the person inside was dead. That belief was confirmed later on Wednesday afternoon via tweet from Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones. The situation ultimately culminated in the recovery of a deceased person, yet authorities are yet to confirm the identity of the body.
Independently, Arrington is believed to have been the perpetrator in the fatal shooting of Anthony Watts, a 61-year-old pastor, on Monday night. This suspicion was confirmed when Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis responded with a statement suggesting the suspect in the killing fit Arrington’s description.
The investigation into the pastor’s death is still ongoing, while authorities continue to search for the three other inmates who escaped prison on Saturday. It remains unclear whether Arrington acted alone or with the help of his fellow fugitives.