/AA/ Braxton, Mississippi [Rankin County] (Signal High) —– Two of the six (former) Mississippi police officers that plead guilty in August, 2023, to federal civil rights offences have been sentenced. Hunter Elward was sentenced to 20 years and Jeffrey Middleton to just over 17 years. The remaining four – Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Daniel Opydke and Joshua Hartfield – are to be sentenced later this week.
The six were charged with conspiracy against rights, obstruction of justice, deprivation of rights under colour of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice in the warrantless invasion, beating and torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker. Jenkins and Parker were beaten, shocked with stun guns, sexually assaulted and mocked with racial slurs. Elward put a gun in Jenkin’s mouth as a mock execution. Both victims suffered terrible injury.
The six officers, known as the “goon squad,” claim to have been responding to suspicious activity in the town of Braxton, part of Rankin County. It has yet too be verified that such a call for service was made.
Investigations carried out by the New York Times, Mississippi Today and Associated Press found that this incident was just part of a larger pattern of violence and police misconduct that spanned decades. The Associated Press investigation linked some of the officers to at least four other violent encounters that left two people dead.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey is facing a separate $400 million lawsuit for allegedly failing to properly train the officers. Sheriff Bailey has asked that the suit against him be dismissed and promised to change the department after the officers pleaded guilty in August.
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