Six former law enforcement officers in Mississippi, who referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad,” have pleaded guilty to a racist assault on two Black men during a home raid. The incident resulted in one man being shot in the mouth by an officer. These civil rights charges were revealed as the officers appeared in federal court and entered their guilty pleas.
This case comes after an Associated Press investigation linked the same deputies involved in this assault to four other violent encounters with Black men since 2019. Two of these encounters resulted in fatalities, while another left a man with lasting injuries.
According to court documents, the officers entered the home without a warrant on January 24. They proceeded to handcuff and use a stun gun on the victims, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. The officers then assaulted the men with a sex object, repeatedly used their stun guns on them, and one of the deputies shot Jenkins in the mouth, causing severe injuries.
Shockingly, the officers did not provide medical attention to Jenkins and instead discussed creating a false cover story to conceal their misconduct. They also planted and tampered with evidence. The motive for the raid was a complaint from a white neighbor, alleging that Black individuals were staying in the white woman’s house. Racist slurs were used against the victims during the raid.
The victims, Jenkins and Parker, have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages against Rankin County. The officers gave themselves the nickname “Goon Squad” due to their willingness to use excessive force without reporting it.
The officers involved in the assault were identified as Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, and Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer. Elward was identified as the person who shot Jenkins, while Opdyke and Dedmon were responsible for the assault using a sex object.
In February, the Justice Department launched a civil rights probe into the allegations made by Jenkins and Parker. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey announced that all five deputies involved in the January 24 episode had been fired or resigned. Hartfield, the sixth officer who participated in the raid while off-duty, was also fired.
The officers were charged through a criminal information filed in federal court, which outlines the basis for bringing criminal offenses against a defendant. This document does not require a grand jury’s vote, unlike an indictment.
In conclusion, this case highlights the serious issue of racial bias and police misconduct. The guilty pleas of these former law enforcement officers serve as an important step towards accountability and justice.
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