A former Mississippi police officer, Hunter Elward, has been given a 20-year sentence for his role in torturing two black men in their own home.
This week, Elward is the first of six officers who will be sentenced.
The victims were beaten, shocked with stun guns, and sexually assaulted by the officers who burst in without a warrant in 2023. One of them was also shot in the mouth.
The group pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offences in August.
Elward’s sentencing will be followed by the other five: Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jerffrey Middleton, Daniel Opydke, and Joshua Hartfield.
On Tuesday, US District Judge Tom Lee called Elward’s crimes ‘egregious and despicable’, as reported by local media.
Each faces the possibility of decades in prison on the charges, which include conspiracy against rights, obstructions of justice, deprivation of rights under colour of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
According to prosecutors, the officers – all of whom are white, and who called themselves the ‘Goon Squad’ – were responding to a call about suspicious activity in the Rankin County town of Braxton when they entered the home of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker.
The two men were handcuffed and subjected to an hours-long assault in which they were repeatedly beaten, shocked, and mocked with racial slurs.
Elward also shot Mr. Jenkins in the mouth during a botched mock execution, cutting his tongue and breaking his jaw.
Elward apologised to Mr Jenkins in court
On Monday, Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker called for the’stiffest of sentences’ to be meted out to the former officers.
“It’s been very hard for me, for us,” Mr Jenkins told the Associated Press. “We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.”
A 28-year-old white victim has been involved in a separate incident, where three of the six officers in the case have also pleaded guilty. The details of that incident are still unclear.
Subsequent investigations by the New York Times, Mississippi Today, and the Associated Press found that the 2023 incident was part of a larger pattern of violent police misconduct that spanned decades.
According to the Associated Press investigation, some of the officers were involved in at least four other violent encounters that led to the death of two people.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, for whom the officers were working, is facing a separate lawsuit worth $400 million for allegedly failing to properly train the officers.
Mr. Bailey has requested that the suit be dismissed and, after months of silence, vowed to change the department after the officers pleaded guilty in August.
What is the case?
The horrifying events unfolded when a white neighbor reported suspicious activity by some Black men at a nearby property, according to the report.
Chief RCSO investigator Brett McAlpin instructed Christian Dedmon to investigate the matter. Officer Dedmon, in turn, called forth a group of officers known as ‘The Goon Squad’, recognized for their ‘willingness to use excessive force’ without taking responsibility, according to the report.
During the incident, the officers subjected the two Black men, identified as Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, to brutal beatings, sexual assault, and taser shocks while they were handcuffed for approximately 90 minutes, Mississippi Free Press reported.
The officers, rather than providing medical assistance to the victims, fabricated a false narrative and tampered with evidence to cover up their actions after the brutal torture, as stated in the report.
Who were the officers involved?
The officials, who called themselves the “Goon squad” included former deputies Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), along with Joshua Hartfield, a former officer with the Richland Police Department, reported CNN.
They admitted to a total of 16 federal charges, consisting of civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under the colour of law, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice, as per the report.
About the proceedings
The Justice Department has charged the six officers with a total of 13 felonies related to “the torture and physical abuse” inflicted upon the two men and their sentencing schedule has been set, the report mentioned
Hunter Elward and Jeffrey Middleton are scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, followed by Christian Dedmon and Daniel Opdyke on Wednesday, and Joshua Hartfield and Brett McAlpin on Thursday.
Before the proceedings begin, Mr Jenkins, Mr Parker, and their lead attorney, Malik Shabazz, will hold a news conference on Monday where both victims will speak and testify during the sentencing hearings.
