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Convicted murderer who escaped Mississippi prison on Christmas Eve has been captured | CNN

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Convicted murderer who escaped Mississippi prison on Christmas Eve has been captured | CNN




CNN
 — 

A convicted murderer who escaped from a Mississippi state prison on Christmas Eve was captured Wednesday, according to a Mississippi Department of Corrections post on Facebook.

Drew Johnson was captured in an area near the prison, the post said.

Sentenced to life in prison on Valentine’s Day in 2022, Johnson managed to escape from Mississippi’s newest state prison in Greene County nearly three years later on Christmas Eve, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

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Authorities in Mississippi had described Johnson as “desperate” and “very very dangerous.”

“Call your family and alert them. Send messages to them and get responses,” the George County Sheriff’s Department warned about the prison escape in a Facebook post. “People tend to be more generous during Christmas and let their guard down. Be vigilant and be careful.”

The 33-year-old has a violent criminal history spanning multiple states. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a series of unrelated violent crimes, according to a news release from Tennessee’s Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. In 2016, Johnson fatally stabbed an acquaintance more than two dozen times, later abandoning the victim’s body in a field in southwest Memphis.

His violent behavior persisted behind bars. While incarcerated in Tennessee in 2021, Johnson attacked another prisoner, repeatedly striking him in the head with a brick, according to the district attorney’s office. Johnson also pleaded guilty to setting multiple fires while in jail in 2019.

Johnson received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murder, along with 15-year sentences for each of his other crimes, all of which are to be served concurrently, according to Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

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He also has a pending murder case in Rankin County, Mississippi.

The convicted murderer broke out of South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville on Tuesday around 3:30 p.m., according to an alert from the Greene County Emergency Management office, shared by police in neighboring George County.



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Mississippi

Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released

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Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released


(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.

The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.

Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.

This undated photo provided by Veronica Roberson in June 2026 shows her grandson, Kohen Wiley, of Senatobia, Miss.(Veronica Roberson | Veronica Roberson via AP)

“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.

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The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.

Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.

“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.

“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”

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The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.

State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.

“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.

Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.

Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.

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“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”

Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.

While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.

Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members

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Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members


Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.

Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.

Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.

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Fort Worth youth baseball team rescued after floodwaters trap families in Mississippi

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Fort Worth youth baseball team rescued after floodwaters trap families in Mississippi


Members of a Fort Worth-area youth baseball team were among dozens of people rescued from rising floodwaters in Mississippi as Tropical Storm Arthur brought heavy rain and dangerous conditions to the Gulf Coast.

According to a release from Cajun Navy 2016, volunteers conducted multiple water rescues along the Biloxi River in Gulfport over the weekend as rainfall caused water levels to rise and flooded homes and roadways.

Among those evacuated were members of The Pickles, a Fort Worth-area youth baseball team.

Trey Williams, communications director for Cajun Navy 2016, said the rescue effort began when the mother of one of the players contacted the organization through Facebook seeking help. Initially, the situation did not appear urgent, but rising floodwaters overnight quickly changed conditions.

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“They were just wanting to get to their game,” Williams said. “But overnight, the water rose a great bit, and it really did become more of an emergency situation where we needed to get them out of that house.”

According to Williams, volunteers working alongside the Gulfport Fire Department evacuated 12 players, nine adults, and three dogs; two German shepherds and a Labrador, from the flooded property.

The group was staying in an Airbnb near the Biloxi River when floodwaters began surrounding the elevated home. Williams said fast-moving water and changing currents created dangerous conditions for rescuers and those trapped inside.

“The most important thing was that water was very swift and fast-moving,” Williams said. “In that situation, it’s always best to get people out of harm’s way.”

The team rescue was one of several operations conducted by Cajun Navy 2016 during the storm response.

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Williams said the rescue reflected the mission that inspired the organization after the historic Louisiana floods of 2016.

“It was neighbors coming together to help neighbors,” Williams said. “Every time we help somebody, they’re very grateful and relieved. In this situation, everybody was safe, everybody got out okay, and that’s why we’re here.”



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