This week will see the sentencing of six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who entered guilty pleas to torturing two Black men: two on Tuesday and the remaining four on Wednesday and Thursday.
Following the filing of a federal civil rights complaint in June by the victims in Mississippi, Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, both of whom are Black, details of the event on January 24, 2023, in Braxton, just southeast of Jackson, became public.
Federal prosecutors confirmed many of the allegations in August when the six former Mississippi policemen entered guilty pleas to a total of 13 charges related to the two men’s torture and abuse.
Former Richland Police Department officers Joshua Hartfield, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Hunter Elward, and Brett McAlpin have entered guilty pleas to federal charges of conspiring against rights, deprivation of rights under the law, and obstruction of justice.
Judge Tom Lee in Mississippi will sentence Elward and Middleton, Hartfield and McAlpin, Dedmon and Opdyke, with federal prosecutors seeking maximum terms for the policemen.
Elward is charged with the most serious offence related to the event in 2023: firing a firearm during a violent crime. According to the charge papers, he might spend up to 30 years behind bars. Hartfield, McAlpin, Middleton, Dedmon, and Opdyke could all spend up to 20 years behind bars.
According to federal prosecutors, some of the policemen dubbed themselves “The Goon Squad” because they were ready to use unnecessary force rather than report it.
New details are emerging regarding a disturbing case where several ex-officers have pleaded guilty
“Justice has finally arrived on this day.”
The families, attorneys, and supporters of Parker and Jenkins told reporters on Monday that they wanted the maximum punishments for all six cops, whose acts, according to the victims, were driven by their race.
Malik Shabazz, attorney for Parker and Jenkins, declared the day of justice for the Rankin County ‘Goon Squad’ as a significant day for accountability and against police brutality nationwide.
The case, which has many startling aspects, comes at a time when the use of force is still being investigated nationally, especially when it comes to persons of colour.
Jenkins and Parker filed a lawsuit alleging officers unlawfully entered their home, handcuffed, kicked, waterboarded, tased, and attempted sexual assault, before a deputy shot them with a gun.
The lawsuit alleges that deputies used racial slurs in violent acts, demonstrating oppressive and hateful behaviour against African-American victims. The defendants were motivated by race and skin colour. The civil rights litigation is ongoing, and the issues raised have not been resolved.
Three former officers, Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke, have pleaded guilty to felonies related to a December 2022 incident and will be sentenced this week. Six others have pleaded guilty to state charges stemming from a January 2023 incident, each charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice.
Dedmon, Elward, McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke, and Hartfield are facing charges of home invasion, aggravated assault, and obstruction of justice, awaiting sentencing on state charges.
What is known regarding the case of the other victim?
In court records, “A.S.” is identified as the subject of a second incident in which three of the previous deputies have entered guilty pleas.
Schmidt claimed to the Times that he was beaten, tased, and attacked by the members of the “Goon Squad.” He said that a constable had brushed his buttocks and genitalia against his head.
Three ex-officers, Christian Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke, have all pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color or law, with Dedmon committing two additional charges, each carries a 10-year sentence.
Court documents reveal that Dedmon used a firearm near A.S. to scare and coerce a confession, with Schmidt’s statement expected to be read during sentencing hearings for the “Goon Squad.”
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