Former Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Plead Guilty to Charges in Connection to Torture and Abuse of Black Men
On Monday, six former law enforcement officers from Mississippi pleaded guilty to state charges related to the torture and abuse of two Black men earlier this year. The former officers, five of whom were deputies for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office and one who was an officer for the Richland Police Department, had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection to the same incident.
The incident, which took place in January, involved the former officers kicking down the door of a home in Braxton, Mississippi, where the Black men were living, and assaulting them for two hours. The victims claim that the incident was motivated by their race. The former officers did not have a warrant and reportedly referred to themselves as “The Goon Squad” for their excessive use of force.
The six officers were charged with a combination of felonies, including conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, home invasion, aggravated assault, and first-degree obstruction of justice. During their appearance in court, the former officers were shackled at the wrists and wore prison jumpsuits. The county jail names were covered by duct tape.
The victims, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, filed a federal lawsuit in June, alleging that the officers illegally entered their home, handcuffed, kicked, waterboarded, and tased them. The officers also attempted to sexually assault them before shooting Jenkins in the mouth. The lawsuit claims that the officers used racial slurs during the assault and targeted the victims based on their race.
The guilty pleas from the former officers come after weeks of investigation and legal proceedings. Some of their attorneys declined to comment, while others stated that their clients have taken responsibility for their actions and are prepared to face the consequences.
The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office fired the deputies involved in the incident in June, and the Richland Police Department announced in July that the officer had resigned. The Rankin County Sheriff, Bryan Bailey, who does not face any charges, stated that the guilty pleas bring some sense of justice to the victims and that the department is taking measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
The former officers are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months. The victims hope that this case serves as a lesson and that justice will be served.