A former Mississippi police chief is behind bars and accused of murder.
James Durwood Winstead, 50, who previously served as the police chief in Yazoo City, was arrested on Friday, April 11, and charged with capital murder in what law enforcement believes was a cover-up case.
On Wednesday, April 9, around 6 p.m., deputies with the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a white male who appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Upon arriving at the scene, they found Timothy Byrd deceased.
Through a subsequent investigation, deputies “quickly uncovered several discrepancies in the story that was being told by a male subject that was on the scene at the time of the incident,” according to a press release. Investigators continued to process the scene and discovered evidence to show that foul play was involved.
The investigation led to the arrest of Winstead, who served as chief of the Yazoo City Police Department from March 2020 until April 2021. Beforehand, he was a captain for nearly 24 years.
The Yazoo County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing any further information at this time as the investigation is ongoing.
