Editor’s note: the following story collects explicit details of violence that could be disturbing.
(Trends Wide) — The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi fired several officers after two black men filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that six white officers trespassed into their private residence and tortured them for nearly two hours.
“Due to recent events, including the results of our internal investigation, those officers who continued to work in this department have been terminated,” Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said at a press conference Tuesday, without specifying the number of officers. laid off or their names. The sheriff said the deputies were on administrative leave and declined to comment on specific charges.
The firings come about two weeks after Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker filed a lawsuit alleging that six officers entered their Braxton residence in January and handcuffed, kicked, tortured, tasered and attempted to assault them. sexually. In addition, one of the officers held a gun to Jenkins’s mouth and shot him, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed June 12 in US District Court in Mississippi, names Bailey and six deputies as defendants and seeks $400 million in damages.
The lawsuit comes amid national scrutiny over police use of force, especially against black people, in cases including the shooting that wounded 11-year-old Aderrien Murry last month in Indianola, Mississippi; the fatal shooting of Alonzo Bagley in Shreveport, Louisiana, in February; and the beating to death of Tire Nichols by officers in Memphis, Tennessee, in January.
During the Jan. 24 incident, officers “forced their entry into the residence from multiple entry points without a warrant” and “without reasonable suspicion or probable cause” to enter the home, according to the lawsuit.
The sheriff previously said deputies came to the residence that day as part of their anti-drug activities, Trends Wide affiliate WAPT reported.
Jenkins and Parker were handcuffed when the officers, who had turned off their body cameras, began punching and slapping them, according to the lawsuit. “Throughout the nearly two-hour ordeal, the six officers beat and punched the two handcuffed men at will, injuring and humiliating both Jenkins and Parker. The officers also kicked the men repeatedly and needlessly , as if they were animals while restrained and handcuffed,” the lawsuit says.
In addition, the officers subjected Jenkins and Parker to simulated drowning by “continuously pouring fluid into their faces while both were handcuffed…and forced to lie face up,” according to the lawsuit.
During these acts, the officers used “vicious racist slurs,” such as the “n” word and “monkey,” and accused them of “dating white women,” according to the lawsuit.
“In their repeated use of racial slurs in the course of their violent acts, (the sheriff’s deputies) were oppressive and displayed hatred against their black victims. The defendants were motivated by the race and skin color of the people they targeted. they assaulted,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges that several officers attempted to use a sexual device on Jenkins and Parker, threw eggs at them and forced them to shower together.
The officers had “custody and control” of Jenkins and Parker during the incident, and neither resisted or attempted to flee, the lawsuit states.
Despite Jenkins and Parker’s agreement, the sheriff’s deputies “put their pistols to the heads of both handcuffed men and threatened to kill them.”
As the assault reached its peak, according to the lawsuit, an officer put a gun to Jenkins’s mouth and fired a shot at him, lacerating his tongue and shattering his jaw.
After Jenkins was shot, “he was seriously injured, left alone to care for and treat himself as he tripped through the door and fell,” the lawsuit says.
“For 20 minutes or more, each sheriff’s deputy knowingly and willfully disregarded his specific duty to provide medical care,” the lawsuit states. When emergency medical personnel arrived, Jenkins was taken to a hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, the lawsuit says.
“Unfortunately, Jenkins has suffered permanent physical injuries and cognitive damage, long-term psychological damage, permanent disfigurement and impairment,” the lawsuit says. Parker also sought medical attention for injuries sustained during the incident, according to the lawsuit.
Trends Wide has contacted Malik Shabazz, an attorney for Jenkins and Parker, for comment.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) conducted an independent investigation, Bailey said. Trends Wide asked the MBI for details about the investigation.
The FBI Jackson Field Office, the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi opened a civil rights investigation into the incident. Trends Wide has contacted the US Department of Justice for comment.
The sheriff’s office has hired a compliance officer “to oversee our daily operations and ensure that our department continues to comply with all state and federal laws,” Bailey said Tuesday.
— Jamiel Lynch, Ryan Young and Kevin Conlon contributed reporting.
