A murder suspect is in the loose on the coast after escaping from a local hospital.

The search is on for 20-year old Aceon Ja’shun Hopkins, who The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says escaped from Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula around 6:15 Friday morning.

Hopkins was in the hospital after being shot two weeks ago in the City of Moss Point. The shooting is under investigation by Moss Point Police.

Sheriff Mike Ezell says Hopkins told a deputy Friday morning he had to use the restroom and somehow escaped. Surveillance video from a nearby hotel in Pascagoula shows Hopkins changing out of his hospital gown into a black hoodie with a fleur de lis blanket wrapped around his waist. The sheriff says he got the clothes from an unlocked car in the hotel parking lot.

The sheriff says after Hopkins was shot, Meridian Police notified the sheriff’s department that he is a suspect in two murders in that city. Meridian also has 13 warrants on Hopkins for various charges. The sheriff says Hopkins is also wanted in Gulfport on drug charges.

There will be an internal investigation how Hopkins escaped. Local law enforcement is assisting in the search for Hopkins. He is six feet, two inches tall, weighing 185 pounds and considered dangerous.

If anyone sees him, please call the department at 228-769-3063 or Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.