Two escaped inmates captured one day after Mississippi prison break

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Louise Thomas

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Two suspected killers who escaped from a jail in southwestern Mississippi have now been captured following a brief manhunt.

Tyrekennel Collins, 24, and Dezarrious Johnson, 18, broke out of the Claiborne County Detention Center around 2.20am local time on Friday, according to the Claiborne County Sheriff's Department.

Footage from the facility showed the two men crawling into the ceiling of the jail, the sheriff’s department said.

From there, the pair managed to find a means of escape to the jail’s exterior.

Johnson appeared to injure his right leg during the escape, which may have given him a limp, the sheriff's department said as it warned the public that the pair were “considered to be dangerous” and urged “all citizens to take necessary precautions”.

But their time on the run came to an abrupt end on Saturday when authorities tracked them down to an abandoned home, WJTV-TV reported.

The Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department shared a video on Facebook of the pair being arrested and dragged out of the property by officers.

Both men are currently awaiting trial for separate murder chargers in separate counties.

Collins is charged with murder in Copiah County for the October killing of his 46-year-old cousin, James Collins. Copiah County is approximately 40 miles west of Claiborne County.

Johnson is charged with both murder and aggravated assault in Jefferson County after he allegedly killed one person and injured two others. His trial is set to begin on October 15. Jefferson County is directly south of Claiborne County.

The Claiborne County Detention Center is located in Port Gibson, Mississippi, which is approximately 60 miles southwest of Jackson.