August 14th 2023.
On Monday, August 14th, the Mississippi justice system took a major step forward. Six former police officers pled guilty to all state charges related to a horrendous incident that occurred on January 20th, 2023. Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, and Joshua Hartfield all entered guilty pleas in a federal case that was connected to the same attack.
CNN reported that the officers were charged with 13 felonies, including conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, home invasion, and aggravated assault. All of them were officially relieved of their positions in June. The officers, who called themselves the “Goon Squad,” broke down the door of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker and proceeded to assault them for two hours.
The victims’ federal lawsuit, which they filed in June, alleges that the Mississippi officers illegally entered their home in Braxton where they proceeded to handcuff, kick, waterboard, and tase them, and even attempted to sexually assault them. Jenkins also recalled one of the deputies putting a gun into his mouth before shooting him.
Jenkins and Parker both feel that the attack was racially motivated. In their lawsuit, they state that the deputies “in their repeated use of racial slurs in the course of their violent acts, were oppressive and hateful against their African-American victims.” They also claim that the officers were “motivated on the basis of race and the color of the skin of the persons they assaulted.”
So far, only one officer in the case has released a statement through his legal counsel. “He takes responsibility for his part in the horrific harms perpetrated on Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Parker, the victims, and is prepared to face the consequences of his misconduct,” said Jeffrey Reynolds, Opdyke’s attorney.
This case serves as an example that justice still exists and that those who commit acts of violence, especially those that are racially motivated, will not be tolerated. We can only hope that this case sets a precedent for future cases and helps to ensure that similar incidents never happen again.
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