Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers sentenced for torture, abuse

The last of the former sheriff deputies received his sentence for the torture of two black men on Thursday. The ruling concludes three days of sentencing hearings for men involved in the incident, some of whom have admitted to being members of “The Goon Squad,” according to a statement by the Justice Department. The title referred to a group of Rankin County Sheriff’s Office deputies “known for using excessive force and not reporting it.

On Tuesday, former RCSO Deputy Hunter Elward received a sentence of 20 years, and former Rankin County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton received a sentence of 17 1/2 years. On Wednesday, former deputies Christian Dedmon and Daniel Opdyke received 40 years and 17 1/2 years, respectively. On Thursday, former deputy Brett McAlpin received 27 1/4 years in prison, and former Richland Police Department officer Joshua Hartfield received a sentence of roughly 10 years.

What exactly did they do?  The Justice Department said all six men pleaded guilty last year to allegations that they tortured and assaulted two black men after breaking into the home where they were staying. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said after the sentencing of the first two officers on Tuesday that the group broke into the house and arrested the men without probable cause. After that, the group “called them racial slurs and punched, kicked, tased, and assaulted them.” Garland added, “One of the defendants fired his gun in the mouth of one of the victims, breaking his jaw.” He said after doing so, “the defendants gathered outside to come up with a cover story as the victim lay bleeding on the floor.”

Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke also faced additional charges for the beating of a white man in a separate incident.

Dig deeper:  Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how Colorado is experimenting with increasing liability for law enforcement officers to limit police brutality.