6 former Mississippi police officers plead guilty for attacking Black men
JACKSON, Mississippi – Six former Mississippi police officers have pleaded guilty to assaulting two Black men. The officers, all white, entered a home without a warrant and assaulted the men with a sex toy and firearms.
One victim was shot at and wounded in a “mock execution” that went wrong. Officers then conspired to plant and falsify evidence instead of providing medical assistance.
According to court documents, the officers abused the victims over a period of about 90 minutes.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s office filed charges against the six former officers.
The officers were nicknamed “The Goon Squad” because they were willing to use excessive force and not report it.
During the raid, the officers called the two men racial slurs.
One of the officers put a gun in the victim’s mouth and fired, shredding his tongue and breaking his jaw.
The defendants who pleaded guilty include Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke. Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer who was off duty when he participated in the robbery, also pleaded guilty.
Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing the victims, thanked the Justice Department in a statement Thursday from Black Lawyers for Justice.
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