Six Mississippi deputy sheriffs have been fired or resigned after being accused by two black men of hitting and sexually assaulting them before shooting one in the mouth.
Michael Corey Jenkins, 32, and his friend Eddie Terrell Parker, 35, said officers from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department broke into a home in Rankin County, east of the state capital Jackson, without a search warrant.
The men said cops beat them, attacked them with a sex toy and repeatedly shocked them with Tasers for about 90 minutes during the Jan. 24 episode, Jenkins and Parker said.
Jenkins said one of the officers put a gun in his mouth and then fired it, causing serious injuries to his face, a torn tongue and a broken jaw. He was in the hospital for weeks.
Michael Corey Jenkins, one of two black men — one of whom was shot in the mouth by a police officer — filed a state civil rights lawsuit against the Mississippi Sheriff’s Department.
Parker related how on the night in question, officers suddenly came into the house where Parker lived and handcuffed and beat them
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said all deputies involved in the incident have been fired and some have already resigned
Michael Jenkins (second from right) stands with his mother Mary Jenkins (centre) and her attorneys in February after he was released from hospital after being shot by a sheriff
Parker said he was sitting in his bedroom around 10 p.m. that evening when he heard loud conversations coming from the living room of the house.
He claimed he opened his door and saw officers in the hallway who immediately ordered him to lie on the floor, handcuffed them and beat them.
At one point, the two were forced to lie on their backs while officers poured milk on their faces, he added.
Parker said he struggled “to keep breathing and not drown at the same time.”
“Milk came out of my nose and mouth,” Parker said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve never been in this position and felt like I did that night.”
Jenkins, who has difficulty speaking due to his injuries, said he was on his knees at the end of the ordeal as one of the officers stood over him.
The deputy put the barrel of a gun in Jenkins’ mouth, she fired, and the bullet exited behind one of Jenkins’ ears.
The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department following the incident.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said he immediately opened a state investigation after the incident
A police officer put the barrel of a gun in Jenkins’ mouth, she fired, and the bullet exited behind one of his ears
Jenkins said one of the officers put a gun in his mouth and then fired it, causing serious injuries to his face, a torn tongue and a broken jaw. He was in the hospital for weeks
At one point, the two had to lie on their backs while officers poured milk on their faces. Parker, pictured, said he struggled “at the same time to keep breathing and not drown”.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said he immediately opened a state investigation at the time.
On Tuesday, he announced that all MPs involved in the incident had been sacked and some had already resigned.
He refused to give the names of the sacked MPs or how many police officers had been sacked.
Bailey also declined to answer any further questions about the episode.
“As a result of recent developments, including the findings of our internal investigation, all deputies still serving in this department have been fired,” Bailey said at a news conference.
“We understand that the alleged actions of these MPs have undermined the public’s trust in the department. Rest assured we will work diligently to restore that trust.”
Jenkins (pictured) and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, seeking $400 million in damages
Bailey’s announcement also follows an Associated Press investigation that found several deputies involved in the incident were also linked to at least four violent encounters with black men since 2019, which resulted in two deaths and another with permanent injuries.
A second man next to Jenkins also claims officers put guns in his mouth.
Each of the four encounters involved officers enlisted in the sheriff’s office’s Special Response Team, a tactical unit whose members receive advanced training.
Officers said the raid was prompted by a report of drug activity at the home.
Jenkins was charged with possession of 2 to 10 grams of methamphetamine and aggravated assault on a police officer.
Parker was charged with two misdemeanors: possession of paraphernalia and disorderly conduct. Deputies did not say whether they received a search warrant for the apartment.
Police and court records revealed the identities of two officers in the Jenkins raid: Hunter Elward and Christian Dedmon.
It was not immediately clear whether any of the MPs had lawyers who could comment on their behalf.
Jason Dare, an attorney for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, said the department was aware of five officers who conducted the Jenkins raid.
Jenkins and his attorney said six officers were at the home. All five people identified by the department were either fired or resigned.
There is no bodycam footage of the episode.
Jenkins said he didn’t know the name of the officer who shot him.
Parker, Shabazz, and attorney Trent Walker allege it was Deputy Hunter Elward, based in part on a separate court document in which Elward swore Jenkins pointed a gun at him. Additionally, Parker said he recognized Elward from online photos of the deputy.
Records obtained by the AP show that the tasers used by the deputies were turned on, turned off or used dozens of times over a period of about 65 minutes before Jenkins was shot.
Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, seeking $400 million in damages.
The allegations against the MPs have sparked an investigation into the clash by the Justice Department.
Assistant US Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the Justice Department is still investigating the January raid that led to the shooting death of Michael Corey Jenkins by Mississippi Sheriff’s deputies
In a statement Tuesday, Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, celebrated the firing of the officers and called for criminal charges against the lawmakers by the Attorney General and the Justice Department.
At a June 1 community meeting in Mississippi, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division said the investigation is ongoing.
“The firing of the Rankin County, Mississippi sheriff’s deputies involved in the torture and shooting deaths of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker is a significant step toward justice for one of the worst law enforcement tragedies in recent memory,” Shabazz said.
“Sheriff Bryan Bailey has finally acted after supporting much of the bloodshed that took place under his rule in Rankin County.”
“If ever there was a case where punitive damages had to be awarded against police officers, this is the case,” attorney Shabazz said earlier this month.
“This unbelievable, horrifying, and violent ordeal demonstrates the Rankin County legislature and Department’s long history of engaging in deadly excessive force and hate crimes against its African American citizens.”