« We will continue this transparency and will fully cooperate with all aspects of this investigation, » the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a probe into a Mississippi sheriff’s office’s « despicable » torture of two Black men.
On Thursday, the DOJ announced that it was investigating the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department after their officers were accused of torturing two Black men in an attack that included beatings, assault with a sex toy and the use of stun guns.
The Justice Department will investigate the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department for potential patterns of excessive force, unlawful stops, searches, arrests, and racially biased policing, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.
In 2023, five Rankin County sheriff’s deputies admitted to breaking into a home without a warrant and assaulting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker for hours. A sixth officer from the Richland Police Department was also convicted for his role in the attack.
Several of the officers belonged to a group notorious for excessive force, which they called the « Goon Squad. » In March, all six were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 40 years.
U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said the officers’ actions were « egregious and despicable.
