2 inmates escape from a Mississippi jail while waiting for murder trials

PORT GIBSON, Miss. (AP) — Law enforcement officers were searching Friday for two inmates who escaped from a jail in southwestern Mississippi.

The two men are awaiting trial on murder charges in separate counties.

Tyrekennel Collins, 24, and Dezarrious Johnson, 18, broke out of the Claiborne County Detention Center at about 2:20 a.m. Friday, the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department said in a social media post.

The jail is in Port Gibson, about 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) southwest of Jackson.

Camera footage showed Collins and Johnson escaping through the ceiling and leaving behind an outside wall, Claiborne County Sheriff Edward Goods told WAPT-TV. Johnson injured one of his legs during the escape and was walking with a limp, the sheriff’s department said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said Collins and Johnson are considered armed and dangerous.

WJTV-TV reported Collins is charged with murder in the October killing of his cousin in Copiah County, which is about 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) west of Claiborne County. Court records on Friday did not show an indictment for Collins.

Johnson is charged with murder and aggravated assault in Jefferson County, which is just south of Claiborne County. Court records show he was indicted in the October 2022 killing of one person and injuries to two others. His trial is set to begin Oct. 15.