Topline
Six white former Mississippi police officers pleaded guilty to state charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution after recently pleading guilty to 16 federal charges for assaulting two Black men in January—here’s what to know about the case.
Six officers have now pleaded guilty to state and federal charges against them for assaulting and … [+]
Key Facts
Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, and Joshua Hartfield of the Richland Police Department recently pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and conspiracy to hinder prosecution for assaulting and torturing two Black men.
The officers, known as the Rankin County 6 by some, pleaded guilty to 16 federal charges for the same case earlier this month involving the assault of Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker during a home raid in Braxton, Mississippi, on January 24.
The officers were reportedly called for suspicious behavior of two Black men, while Jenkins and Parker were in the home of a friend.
These charges can carry up to 20 years and the officers are expected to concurrently serve them with the federal charges, which carry between 10 and 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
The Rankin County sheriff’s deputies were fired in June and Hartfield resigned from the Richland police force in July.
All involved officers are expected to be sentenced in November.
Key Background
Federal charges against the officers, per the Justice Department’s filing, include conspiracy against rights, conspiracy to obstruct justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, obstruction of justice, use and carry and brandish and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Both state and federal charges stem from claims that the officers tortured Jenkins and Parker, including having them strip naked and shower together and hurling eggs at them, while others failed to intervene during an illegal raid. After being handcuffed without probable cause, per the DOJ, Jenkins and Parker were allegedly assaulted with a sex toy, beaten, called racial slurs, tasered and waterboarded and Jenkins was shot in the mouth by Elward, suffering cognitive damage and permanent nerve damage on one side of his face, according to a filing from Black Lawyers for Justice and attorneys Malik Shabazz and Trent Walker. The DOJ says the officers failed to intervene to help Jenkins and instead devised a cover up story that included planting a gun on Jenkins, charging him with crimes he did not commit, submitting fake evidence and filing false reports.
Surprising Fact
Some of the officers involved in this case claimed to be a part of “The Goon Squad,” according to the DOJ—a group of officers within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office who do not report the excessive force they use. In addition to charges from Jenkins and Parkers’ case, Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke pleaded guilty to charges brought against them for beating, tasing and firing a gun at a white man last December for his confession.
Tangent
In January, five Black police officers, part of Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION Unit, were charged with murder for fatally beating a Black man named Tyre Nichols after he was pulled over. Nichols’ death sparked national media attention and the Justice Department’s review of Memphis Police Department and their use of specialized units. The DOJ is investigating the city of Memphis and the police department “to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law by MP.”
Further Readings
Six former Mississippi officers have pleaded guilty to state charges for torturing two Black men (The Associated Press)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/darreonnadavis/2023/08/14/six-white-former-police-officers-plead-guilty-to-state-charges-for-torturing-two-black-men-in-mississippi/