Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers, known as "The Goon Squad," now face state charges related to the brutal abuse and torture of two Black men. The disgraced officers are expected to appear in court this Monday, where they're likely to issue guilty pleas.
These ex-officers, namely Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, all previously serving in Rankin County Sheriff’s department, together with Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland Police officer, each received charges of conspiring to obstruct justice, this is according to a statement from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
On top of these charges, Dedmon and Elward are facing home invasion indictments, with Elward also slapped with an aggravated assault charge. McAlpin, Middleton, Opdyke and Hartfield each must respond to an additional charge of first-degree obstruction of justice. Amidst this string of offenses, the group is expected to enter guilty pleas as part of an agreement worked out with Mississippi Deputy Attorney General Mary Helen Wall.
The court appearance comes after all six pled guilty, last week, to federal charges stemming from the detestable events that occurred on January 24. It is alleged that these former law enforcement officials, devoid of a search warrant, forcibly entered a Braxton, Mississippi home. The house, where the victims Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker resided, was the setting for a horrifying episode of unrelenting physical assault that lasted for two hours.
The officers even earned themselves the moniker ‘The Goon Squad’ due to their readiness to wield excessive force sans any fear of reproach, as per federal charging documents. A joint 13 felonies were filed against the six officers in connection with the disturbing acts of torture inflicted on both Jenkins and Parker that night, an announcement from the Justice Department noted.
The victims themselves, Jenkins and Parker, lodged a federal lawsuit in June. They allege they were subjected to a frenzy of handcuffing, kicking, waterboarding, tasering and attempted sexual assault at the hands of these officers. This relentless torment reached a terrifying crescendo when a gun was thrust into the mouth of Jenkins and fired.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey announced in June that deputies had been dismissed, although he remained tight-lipped on how many and who exactly. Meanwhile, the Richland Police Department confirmed in July that Hartfield, off-duty at the time of the incident, had tendered his resignation.
The legal position is unclear as attempts to contact attorneys for each of the men yielded little response. However, Jeffrey Reynolds, Opdyke’s attorney, issued a statement saying his client has fessed up to his wrongdoing and will plead guilty come the August 14 court date in Rankin County Circuit Court. The statement also outlined Opdyke’s preparedness to face the repercussions of his ghastly misconduct towards the victims, Jenkins and Parker.
