A federal judge in Mississippi recently delivered the final sentences in a troubling brutality case involving six white law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges for the brutal treatment of two Black men during a house raid without a warrant last year.

These officers were part of a group called the “Goon Squad,” known locally for their aggressive tactics in Rankin County, a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee handed down a sentence of over 27 years in federal prison to Brett McAlpin, a former high-ranking deputy sheriff in Rankin County, for his role in the racially-motivated attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023. The men were targeted after a neighbor complained about their presence in a white woman’s home.

Judge Lee condemned the officers’ actions as “egregious and despicable” and handed out sentences at the top end of the sentencing guidelines.

Another member of the squad, Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer, received a 10-year sentence. Earlier in the week, Judge Lee sentenced other former members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, including Christian Dedmon, who received the harshest sentence of 40 years, Hunter Elward with 20 years, and Daniel Opdyke and Lt. Jeffrey Middleton with 17.5 years each.

During the sentencing hearings, more details emerged about the operations of the “Goon Squad.” Prosecutors revealed that McAlpin, seen as a father figure to younger deputies, played a pivotal role in shaping the group. Lt. Middleton, on the other hand, was responsible for orchestrating the cover-up of the raid and the accidental shooting. Prosecutors stated that Middleton even went as far as threatening to have anyone who spoke out against the group killed.

“Let this be a warning to all police officers in the United States of America,” said attorney Malik Shabazz, who represents the victims. “If you allow deputies and officers under your command to go rogue, to commit crimes and to abuse persons you will be held equally as responsible as the shooter and the abuser.”

The victims appeared in court during the sentencing hearings and advocated for the harshest possible punishments. Eddie Parker mentioned that he continues to grapple with the enduring consequences of that fateful night. Michael Corey Jenkins expressed a sense of relief that justice was finally being served and expressed his eagerness to move past the ordeal. The shooting incident left Jenkins with a fractured jaw and a cut tongue.

 “They did some unimaginable things to me,” he said in a statement. “They tried to take my manhood from me.” He said he felt like a slave.

He called Dedmon the worst. “Deputy Dedmon was the most aggressive, sickest and the most wicked,” he said through a statement from his lawyer. Federal prosecutors described Dedmon, 29, and Opdyke, 28, sexually assaulting the men with a sex toy.

During his hearing, Elward spoke to the victims directly. “I see you every night,” he said. “I can’t go back and do what’s right. I am sorry for what I did.” 

Parker replied “I forgive you.” 

Lt. Middleton, who did not look at the victims, apologized for tarnishing the reputations of Rankin County, law enforcement, and his family. “I will never forgive myself for failing to protect innocent victims and my family.”

McAlpin had a similar apology. “I’m really sorry for being a part of something that made law enforcement look so bad,” he said, not looking at the victims.

Opdyke cried in court. “The weight of my actions and the harm I’ve caused will haunt me every day,” he said. “I wish I could take away your suffering.”

Jenkins and Parker have filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against Rankin County and Sheriff Bryan Bailey. The NAACP and other civil rights groups have called for Bailey to resign or be removed from office, for overseeing a “poisonous culture” of police brutality.

The former officers have yet to be sentenced on state charges.