Six former white law enforcement officers from Mississippi have entered guilty pleas to state charges for their involvement in a disturbing racist assault against two Black men. These officers had already admitted their guilt in a related federal civil rights case.
According to prosecutors, some of these officers even referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad,” signifying their readiness to employ excessive force and cover up their actions, including a brutal attack that concluded with one victim being shot in the mouth by a deputy.
The incident took place in January, when the officers unlawfully entered a residence without a warrant, subjecting the two men to handcuffing, assaults with stun guns and even a sex toy. Throughout a harrowing 90-minute ordeal, racial slurs were hurled at the victims. The officers then devised a scheme to conceal their actions, which involved planting drugs and a weapon. This resulted in false charges that could have led to one of the victims being imprisoned for years.
Several months later, their conspiracy began to unravel when one officer confessed to lying, leading to confessions from the others involved.
Each of the former officers has agreed to sentences recommended by state prosecutors, ranging from five to 30 years, although the ultimate decision rests with the judge. The time served for the state charges will run concurrently with the federal sentences they are set to receive. Longer prison terms could be imposed in federal court in November.
The group comprises five ex-deputies from Rankin County Sheriff’s Office – Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke – along with Joshua Hartfield, a former police officer from the city of Richland. All six have pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution.
Dedmon and Elward, who forcibly entered a door, have additionally pleaded guilty to charges of home invasion. Elward has also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for a distressing incident where he put a gun in one victim’s mouth and pulled the trigger, simulating a “mock execution.”
The victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, were present during the proceedings, seated in the front row just feet away from the families of their attackers. The mother of another Black man, Damien Cameron, who died after being punched and tased by Elward during an arrest, embraced both Jenkins and Parker.
The brutality exposed in Rankin County raised concerns about a police culture that appeared to grant officers unchecked power. This was further highlighted by an Associated Press investigation linking some of these officers to violent encounters with Black men, which resulted in deaths and lasting injuries. The Justice Department initiated a civil rights inquiry in response.
Rankin County, predominantly white suburbs, have witnessed an influx of white residents leaving Jackson, a city with a high percentage of Black inhabitants.
The officers had reportedly instructed Jenkins and Parker to return to Jackson or “their side” of the Pearl River.
The victims, who were targeted based on a complaint from a white neighbor, are not sure if they will ever return to Mississippi for an extended period. However, they found some solace in the fact that at least one aspect of the justice system worked.
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Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, highlighted the erosion of trust within the community due to the officers’ actions. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch emphasized that abuses of power would not be tolerated.
