Six Former Mississippi Police Officers Plead Guilty to Assault Charges
Former Mississippi police officers plead guilty to race-fueled assault charges, admitting to shocking abuses of power and violence, as a civil rights investigation reveals disturbing details. We discuss it here!
Attorney Malik Shabazz (pictured right) speaks at a Feb. 15 press conference on behalf of Michael Jenkins (pictured 2nd left) with Jenkins’ mother, Mary Jenkins (left), and his father, Mel Jenkins (2nd right) File Photo by Kayode Crown
By: Adonis Armstrong
Six former Mississippi police officers admitted guilt on Thursday, Aug. 3rd, in connection with race-fueled assault charges, with most of them identifying as The Goon Squad, known for their willingness to use excessive force, according to WJTV.
Based on court documents, the officers barged into a Braxton residence without a warrant and forcibly handcuffed Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January. For approximately 90 minutes, Jenkins and Parker endured various torturous acts, including being shot with tasers, subjected to a form of "waterboarding" involving milk, chocolate syrup, and alcohol, and experiencing anally penetrating with an unidentified object. One of the accused even put a gun in Jenkins' mouth and pulled the trigger, causing a bullet to fracture his jaw, lacerate his tongue, and inflict severe neck injuries.
In an effort to conceal their evil actions, the former officers planted a firearm and methamphetamine on the victims and tampered with home surveillance footage, spent shell cases, and taser cartridges. As a result, Jenkins faced charges of aggravated assault and controlled substance possession, while Parker was accused of disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.
After a civil rights investigation conducted by the Justice Department, the disturbing situation came to light, resulting in multiple charges against each of the six former officers. Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, and Daniel Opdyke, who were part of the Rankin County Sheriff's Department, and Joshua Hartfield, a former member of the Richland Police Department, have admitted to various offenses, including conspiracy against rights, obstructions of justice, deprivation of rights under color of law, discharge of a firearm under a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Additionally, Dedmon, Elward, and Opdyke pleaded guilty to three federal felony offenses for a separate incident from December 2022. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee announced that all six individuals will be sentenced in November.
Ex-Mississippi officers plead guilty to racist assault on 2 Black men during raid
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Biden will Create a National Monument Honoring Emmett Till
President Biden will establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, honoring the Black teenager whose murder sparked the civil rights movement, with sites in Chicago and Mississippi. We discuss it here!
Emmett Till
By: Joshua Martin
On what would have been Emmett Till’s 82nd birthday, President Biden will honor the late teenager who’s murder was a catalyst for the civil-rights movement. President Biden will sign a proclamation Tuesday forming the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument which embodies the decades of civil rights work of Till’s mother, who continuously fought for equality for Black Americans following her son’s murder.
Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam was tried on murder charges about a month after Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. Months later, they confessed to killing Till in an interview with Look magazine.
The monument locations will consist of a site in Chicago, where Till was born and two sites in rural Mississippi, where he traveled to spend time with his family. The Illinois site is Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville, where thousands of people gathered at the church to mourn Emmett Till in September of 1955.
The Mississippi sites are Graball Landing, where Till’s mutilated body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where Till’s killers were acquitted by an all white jury.
Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi when Carolyn Bryant Donham accused the 14-year-old Till made sexual advances at her while she worked in a store in the small community of Money, Ms. Till would be later abducted by Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam
The two men were tried on murder charges about a month after Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. Months later, they confessed to killing Till in an interview with Look magazine. Carolyn Bryant died earlier this year.
The new monument will protect places that tell the story of Emmett Till's too-short life and racially-motivated murder, the unjust acquittal of his murderers, and the activism of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, who courageously brought the world's attention to the brutal injustices and racism of the time, catalyzing the civil-rights movement',” a White House official said in a statement.
Last December, Congress voted to award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Till and his mother. For Black History Month this year, Biden hosted a screening of the movie “Till,” a drama about his lynching. In March the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was signed into law, which made lynching a federal hate crime for the first time in US history.
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Mississippi Resident Files $400M Lawsuit Over Jaw Shooting Incident
Mississippi resident files $400M lawsuit against Rankin County Police for jaw-shooting incident and civil rights violations, sparking federal investigation. We discuss it here!
By: Adonis Armstrong
A federal lawsuit seeking $400 million in damages has been filed by a Mississippi resident who narrowly escaped death after being shot in the mouth, all while being detained alongside his companion by six police officers from Rankin County. The incident took place during an alleged drug raid.
On February 15th, Eddie Terrell Parker (left) and Michael Corey Jenkins can be seen seated in a room at the office of lawyer Trent Walker in Jackson, Mississippi. (Aallyah Wright/Capital B)
Michael Corey Jenkins, aged 32, and Eddie T. Parker, aged 35, both African American, allege that their constitutional rights were infringed upon on January 24th. This occurred when deputies from Rankin County's Sheriff's Department forcefully entered Parker's residence, placed the men in handcuffs, and conducted a drug search. Despite unlawfully entering Parker's home, their attorney, Malik Z. Shabazz, informed Capital B that during the incident the officers use, “excessive interrogation methods to coerce a confession.”
Among the defendants listed in the lawsuit, three officers, including Hunter Elward, who were present at the residence in Braxton, Mississippi, as well as Sheriff Byran Bailey, have been named as codefendants. Jenkins alleges that Elward, during the incident, discharged a firearm and inflicted severe, potentially life-threatening injuries to his jaw and tongue. The lawsuit further states that following the incident, Elward falsely accused Jenkins of pointing a gun at him, resulting in the filing of wrongful criminal charges.
For almost two hours, the individuals were subjected to a series of disturbing actions which included frequent punches, kicks, slaps, electric shocks from stun guns, and relentless racist remarks, all conducted in an extremely juvenile and peculiar manner. As stated in the lawsuit, the officers also allegedly made an attempt to sexually assault Jenkins and Parker using a sex toy. When their efforts to commit this evil act against Jenkins were frustrated due to him defecating on himself, the officers responded by engaging in immature and bizarre behavior, laughing, throwing eggs at them, and forcing them to remove their clothing and take a shower together.
The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has initiated a federal investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff's Office regarding this matter. However, it has not been officially disclosed whether the allegation of attempted sexual assault will be part of the investigation. On May 8th, Shabazz wrote a letter to the Civil Rights Division urging them to examine the case as a hate crime. A spokesperson from the Civil Rights Division has acknowledged the receipt of Shabazz's letter.
This isn’t the first time the Rankin County Sheriff Department has been handed a lawsuit. I hope this is the lawsuit to promote change in the department.
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Mother of Aderrien Murry Files Lawsuit After Police Shooting
A lawsuit has been filed by Nakala Murry, mother of Aderrien Murry, in response to a police shooting incident in Indianola, Mississippi. We discuss it here!
Nakala Murry, mother of Aderrien who was shot by police in Indianola, Mississippi on Saturday, May 20, 2023, is with her attorney and family members. (Credit: Nakala Murry)
By: Adonis Armstrong
According to CNN, Nakala Murry, the mother of Aderrien Murry, has filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday May 30th. The legal action follows an incident in which a police officer, responding to Aderrien's 911 call, shot him in the chest.
The lawsuit alleged that Capers “failed to assess the situation before displaying and/or discharging his firearm.” It further stated, “The injuries endured by the defendants could have been avoided if defendants would have acquired the adequate training on how to provide proper assistance and care.”
As stated in the lawsuit, the defendants named in the case consist of the City of Indianola, Mississippi, its police chief, and several officers, notably Greg Capers, who the Indianola Police Department confirmed as the individual responsible for shooting Aderrien. Nakala is pursuing a minimum of $5 million in damages, alleging excessive force, negligence, and various other charges.
As previously mentioned, during the early hours on May 20th, Nakala told her son to call 911 following an incident involving the agitated father of one of her other children. Nakala stated that upon Caples arrival, he immediately withdrew his firearm and ordered everyone to exit the house. As Aderrien crossed the hallway towards the living room, the responding officer discharged his weapon, shooting the 11-year-old child in the chest.
Following the incident, Aderrien was rushed to a near by hospital by first responders, where he underwent the insertion of a chest tube and was placed on a ventilator. Nakala, his mother, disclosed that he suffered from a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver as a result of the shooting. Aderrien has been released from the hospital.
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Family Seeks Justice for 11-Year-Old Aderrien Murry Shot by Officer
Family seeks justice as an 11-year-old boy recovers from a police shooting incident, prompting ongoing investigation and calls for accountability. We discuss it here!
Aderrien Murry, 11, was shot by police in Indianola, Mississippi on Saturday, May 20, 2023, after calling 911 during a domestic disturbance involving his mother. (Credit: Nakala Murry)
By: Adonis Armstrong
Following the discharge of an 11-year-old boy from the hospital, his family continues their pursuit of justice against the Indianola police officer responsible for shooting him.
CNN has verified the health condition of Aderrien Murry through a conversation with his mother, Nakala Murry, on Wednesday May 24th. This update follows Officer Greg Capers' response to a domestic disturbance call at Nakala Murry's residence on Saturday May 20th.
In the early hours of that morning, Nakala told Aderrien to call the authorities due to her concerns when the father of one of her other children showed up at her residence in an agitated state at 4 a.m. When Officer Capers' arrived, Nakala alleged that he approached the front door with his firearm drawn, instructing those inside to exit. She disclosed that her son was shot while complying with the officer's instructions.
“Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Nakala stated. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot. He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’” she said.
The authorities arrested the father of Nakala's daughter, but he was later released since she did not file a police report. Aderrien was rushed to a nearby hospital, where medical professionals at the University of Mississippi Medical Center inserted a chest tube and put him on a ventilator to address the gunshot wound he sustained to his chest. His mother revealed that he suffered from a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver as a result of the shooting.
As the investigation continues, Capers was placed on paid administrative leave on Monday May 22nd. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has stated that they are currently evaluating this significant incident and collecting evidence.
The family is urging the Indianola Police Department to terminate Capers' employment and for him to face arrest, as stated by their attorney Carlos Moore in communication with CNN. Moore also revealed that the incident was recorded by a police body camera, although it has not been made public yet due to an ongoing investigation. “We believe that the city and the officer should be liable to Aderrien Murray for the damages they have caused,” he expressed.
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