A Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy SUV drives through downtown Brandon, Mississippi.Photo:AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
A Mississippi sheriff said Tuesday that he has fired six deputies who are accused of being involved in a drug home raid that led to two Black men being tortured and sexually abused before shooting one of them in the mouth.
Parker told theAssociated Pressin February that he struggled “to keep breathing and keep from drowning at the same time," adding, “There was milk coming out of my nose, my mouth. I’ve never been in that position and felt the way that I felt that night.”
Michael Corey Jenkins stands outside Taylor Hill Church in Braxton, Mississippi, on March 18, 2023.AP Photo/HG Biggs
AP Photo/HG Biggs
Attorneys for Jenkins and Parker said Wednesday in a virtual press conference, perNBC News, that they welcomed the firings but that they would not rest “until justice is done for these families.”
The two men sued the sheriff’s department last month with the help ofBlack Lawyers for Justice, a civil-rights group, seeking $400 million in damages, the latter outer reported.
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“This extreme case of police brutality warrants enforcement of the civil rights criminal laws on the books,” Shabazz said in a statement, according toNews 19. “Sheriff Bryan Bailey and Rankin County are covering up the truth of what happened on Jan. 24, and all parties must be held accountable.”
The families of Michael Corey Jenkins and Damien Cameron.AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
In a letter to Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, Shabazz urged an investigation into a “pattern and practice of police misconduct and police brutality” in Rankin County.
Bailey, who is listed as a defendant in the case, said, “We have cooperated with all investigation efforts related to this incident and have provided all information and data requested in a timely manner,” according toABC News.
“This will continue until all investigative efforts are complete and justice is served. We cannot, however, confirm or deny any specific facts related to this incident because of active and ongoing investigations.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department and the United States attorney’s office for Southern Mississippi have opened a federal civil-rights investigation into the case.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
source: people.com
