Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker joined six Rankin County deputies accused of beating, torturing, and sexually assaulting the two Black men in court on Thursday morning.
At this time, all six officers have been arraigned and have waived their right to a trial by a grand jury. No bond has been set at this time.
Timeline of Events
According to statements by Jenkins and Parker, the deputies forcibly entered the Braxton residence without presenting a warrant on January 24, 2023.
Both men were immediately handcuffed before the officers began stunning Jenkins and Parker with Tasers, with the first Taser being used at 10:04 p.m.
Documents show Tasers being turned on, off, or used over a dozen times for approximately 65 minutes after the first Taser was fired.
Less than 30 minutes later, Jenkins was reportedly shot by a deputy that put a gun in his mouth, leaving Jenkins with a broken jaw and severe wounds to his tongue.
In total, the incident is estimated to have lasted for under two hours, with the deputies also alleged to have waterboarded the two men with milk and assaulted them with a sex toy.
The officers later charged Jenkins with aggravated assault of a police officer and possession of a controlled substance. Parker was given two misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct and possession of paraphernalia.
Jenkins was transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), where his injuries were treated for several weeks.
The two men are now seeking $400 million in punitive and compensatory damages from the sheriff’s department.
Jenkins and Parker are also accusing the deputies of attempted murder, false imprisonment, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and six counts of deprivation of civil rights.
Deputies Involved
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey announced during a press conference on June 27 that the deputies involved in the incident had been terminated from their positions, but did not confirm the identities or amount of officers that had been fired at the time.
“We understand that the alleged actions of these deputies has eroded the public’s trust in our department. Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust,” Bailey said.
Shortly after, the identities of four of the deputies were revealed through police and court records, with one of the men being an off-duty officer with the Richland Police Department.
In a letter released to the public on July 3, Richland Police Chief Nick McLendon stated that one of his officers, 31-year-old Joshua Hartfield, was present during the January event.
“It is with profound sadness and heartfelt regret that we must confirm that former Officer Joshua Hartfield, while off duty, has been implicated in an incident occurring in Rankin County, Mississippi on January 24, 2023. We must express our deepest disappointment that a member of our department is claimed to be involved in a situation that goes against our department’s commitment to serve and protect the public,” McLendon said.
Hartfield was placed on administrative leave and resigned from his position following the department’s discovery of his involvement in the incident.
Since then, the identities of deputies Leonard Hunter Elward, 31, Christian Dedmon, 28, Jeffrey Middleton, 45, Daniel Updyke, 27, and Brett McAlpin, 52, have been confirmed.
Both Elward and Dedmon have faced allegations within the last few years of using excessive force towards Black men while making arrests.
In 2021, Elward was accused of kneeling on the back and neck of Damien Cameron for over 20 minutes after responding to a report of vandalism at a neighbor’s residence.
Cameron was then placed unconscious in the back of a police car before being transported to UMMC. The 29-year-old was pronounced dead before he could be treated by the hospital’s trauma team, with patient records stating that he had wounds on his face and arms.
Within the same year, Dedmon was accused of putting a gun in Carvis Johnson’s mouth during a drug bust but did not pull the trigger.
Elward and Dedmon were also said to be involved in the fatal shooting of Pierre Woods, who had reportedly begun firing at officers inside of a Pelahatchie home in 2019. Woods had been diagnosed with mental health issues prior to the incident.
Now, both Elward and Dedmon are being accused of using excessive force against a Black man in a third case involving Jenkins and Parker.
Elward has stated in recent weeks that Jenkins pointed a gun at him during the event. Malik Shabazz, Jenkins’ attorney, has since argued that neither men were in possession of a firearm at the time. It is unknown if a gun was found at the scene at this time.
Jason Dare, an attorney for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, has also released that there is no body camera or dashcam footage from the January 24 incident.
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