Multiple deputies have been fired from a Mississippi sheriff’s department after two men filed a $400 million federal lawsuit against them, according to NBC News.
Michael Corey Jenkins, 32, and Eddie Terrell Parke, 35, accused officers of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department of illegally entering their home in a supposed drug raid before torturing and sexually assaulting them back on Jan. 24, the Associated Press reports.
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Lawsuit: Both Men Beaten, Tased, Waterboarded, And Sexually Abused With Sex Toy
The lawsuit alleges a pattern of excessive force against Black people within the department. The suit describes the incident, which reportedly lasted upwards of 90 minutes, as “one of the worst and most bizarre incidents of police misconduct in United States history.”
Jenkins and Parker were living together at the time of the alleged assault, the outlet reports.
The two men, who are Black, claim deputies entered their home without cause or warning before assaulting and waterboarding them.
One of the cops reportedly even shot Jenkins after putting his gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger.
The shooting left him with serious facial injuries, a lacerated tongue, and a broken jaw, NBC News reports. He was hospitalized for weeks.
According to Michael Jenkins, one of the Rankin County deputies shot him in the mouth during the January 24th incident at his Braxton home. pic.twitter.com/KWVrGpiLU6
— Ross Adams (@radamsWAPT) June 27, 2023
Jenkins and Parke additionally allege that the officers went on to sexually violate them with a sex toy and attacked them while shouting racial slurs.
The lawsuit claims Jenkins and Parke were then hit with Tasers at least 20 to 30 times.
“(The deputies engaged) in a sadistic contest with each other as to which Taser would be most effective when fired against these two victims,” the suit reads.
Rankin County Sheriff Seeks To Restore Community’s Trust In Police Department
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said he immediately sought a state investigation upon learning of the accusations.
On Tuesday, Bailey announced that all the deputies involved in the episode had been fired, and some had already resigned.
“Due to recent developments, including findings during our internal investigation, those deputies that are still employed by this department have all been terminated,” Sheriff Bryan Bailey confirmed Tuesday, per NBC News.
However, he refused to confirm which officers were fired, who resigned, and how many.
Sheriff Bailey acknowledged the damage the officers did and promised to restore “the public’s trust in our department.”
“We understand that the alleged actions of the deputies have eroded the public’s trust in our department,” Bailey said, according to NBC News. “Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust.”
Six Officers Reported To Be Involved In Incident, Multiple Fired, Several Resign Amidst Accusations
The Daily Mail reports the number of officers involved to be six.
Meanwhile, Ashley Ann of the Pelahatchie News posted in the Facebook Group “Let’s Talk Rankin County!” that three officers involved who were fired are: Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, and Hunter Elward.
Ann’s report is also confirmed via a copy of the lawsuit obtained by WLBT.
Furthermore, Hunter Elward is also allegedly the cop who shot Michael Jenkins in the mouth, per the Associated Press.
Ann reports that two of the six officers involved have resigned. However, it’s still unclear as to the names of the other accused deputies.
In February, the Department of Justice even opened a civil rights investigation into the department over Jenkins and Parke’s accusations, according to the AP.
