Former Mississippi police chief faces capital murder charge 4 years after resignation
The Yazoo County Sheriff's Office posted a news release via Facebook at 11:09 p.m. Friday, April 11, stating deputies responded to a call around 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, in reference to a man who had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The department identified the deceased man as Timothy Byrd. According to the department, Byrd was found dead at his home off of Dover Road.
"After investigators arrived on scene, they quickly uncovered several discrepancies in the story that was being told by a male subject that was on scene at the time of the incident," the news release reads. "Investigators continued to process the scene and uncovered more evidence that there was foul play involved."
According to the news release, deputies arrested former Yazoo City Police Chief James "Jay" Durwood Winstead, 50. Winstead was charged with capital murder in connection to this case, authorities said.
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After receiving some criticism about the arrest, as Winstead appears to be a widely known community figure, the sheriff's office posted at 9:41 a.m. Saturday the following message in full:
"Evidence is evidence," the statement begins. "I understand a lot of people are upset behind this and so are we. We all worked with this guy at some point in our law enforcement career, but these kinds of warrants don't get signed without sufficient evidence to do so. We have no reason to fabricate charges and once again there is evidence all over this case that none of you know about at this point. My prayers go out to the families of both parties in this situation."
The Clarion Ledger reached out to receive more information about the case, but the sheriff was not immediately available.
Previous Clarion Ledger reporting states that Winstead first started in law enforcement in 1996. Winstead was appointed as police chief in August 2020 by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in a 4–1 vote, according to board meeting minutes from the Aug. 3, 2020.
According to Clarion Ledger reporting, Winstead resigned as the Yazoo City police chief before April 2021, citing ongoing issues with the city's mayor at that time.
See details on Winstead's resignation: Yazoo City police chief cites ongoing frustrations with mayor as reason for resignation
The Clarion Ledger reported Winstead and Jake Sheriff, who was the Yazoo County sheriff at the time, brought up the idea of the two law enforcement agencies working together during a meeting with the city's mayor on March 23, 2021. Winstead said the mayor didn't agree to the Yazoo City police helping the sheriff's department.
According to Winstead, the department's investigative captain and himself had taken on working 12-hour patrolling shifts alongside other officers due to a staffing shortage. Winstead said the staffing shortage had been going on for years.
The Clarion Ledger also reported Winstead felt weighed down by the low bond set for the man accused of killing a 13-year-old in March. The bond had been originally set at $250,000 and was reduced to $75,000.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Former Yazoo City Police Chief James 'Jay' Durwood Winstead arrested
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