The Rankin County deputies accused of beating and assaulting two Black men earlier this year have been fired.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey has confirmed that a total of six deputies have been terminated following a January 23 incident in which white officers allegedly beat, tortured, and sexually assaulted Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker.
“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 during a Tuesday press conference.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Field Office announced in February that the incident is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
According to Jenkins’ attorney, Malik Shabazz, Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker were in a Braxton home when six white deputies forcibly entered without presenting a warrant.
Shabazz claims that the officers immediately restrained the two men and proceeded to torture them by means of kicking, punching, and waterboarding for nearly an hour and a half. The officers are also accused of using racial slurs against the two men and sexually assaulting them.
In addition, Shabazz says one officer placed his firearm into Jenkins’ mouth and pulled the trigger with intent to kill the 32-year-old. Jenkins was reportedly hospitalized for multiple weeks following the shooting.
The two men are seeking $400 million in punitive and compensatory damages from the sheriff’s department.
On January 25, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation stated that the officers were conducting a drug investigation when they entered the home and claimed that the deputy who shot Jenkins did so after a firearm was displayed toward the officers.
Though there have been calls for Bailey’s resignation, the sheriff has repeatedly said he does not plan to step down from his position.
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