Sheriff Says Inmate Accused of Beating Death Has Violent Past

Reported by: Allie Martin

ITAWAMBA CO., Miss. – (WCBI)An inmate is killed at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility and the suspect is from our region.

On Sunday evening, Clifton Majors was beaten to death by an inmate identified as Tyler Smith. Smith admitted to beating Majors and said he feared for his safety.

Smith is well known to local law enforcement. Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson answered several domestic violence calls involving Smith. In one instance, Smith was beating up his mother.

Sheriff Dickinson says Smith had a troubled past.

“The issue with Tyler, it’s a sad situation but he does know right from wrong and every time we would show up on the scene or when he would be in jail if he would act out we would rectify the situation and he would always calm down cause as I said he knew right from wrong,” says Sheriff Dickinson.

Smith was serving a two year sentence for two counts of Grand Larceny from Itawamba County.