
Viral Dashcam Footage Shows Driver Narrowly Avoiding Shootout in Mississippi
Viral dashcam footage shows a driver narrowly avoiding a shootout in Mississippi.

A federal judge has recently handed down prison terms of about 10 to 40 years to six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing two Black men in an hourslong attack that included beatings, repeated uses of stun guns, and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth. The U.S. District Judge Tom Lee called the culprits' actions "egregious and despicable" and gave sentences near the top of federal guidelines to five of the six men who attacked Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker in January 2023.
Condemnation and Historical Context
The case drew condemnation from top law enforcement officials in the country, including Attorney General Merrick Garland. In its grisly details, local residents saw echoes of Mississippi’s history of racist atrocities by people in authority. The difference this time is that those who abused their power paid a steep price for their crimes, the victims' attorneys said.
Sentences and Apologies
Brett McAlpin, 53, who was the fourth highest-ranking officer in the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, received a sentence of about 27 years. McAlpin offered an apology before he was sentenced but did not look at the victims as he spoke. "This was all wrong, very wrong. It’s not how people should treat each other and even more so, it’s not how law enforcement should treat people," McAlpin said. "I’m really sorry for being a part of something that made law enforcement look so bad." The only defendant who didn't receive a prison term at the top of the sentencing guidelines was Joshua Hartfield, 32, a former Richland police officer who did not work in a sheriff’s department with the others and was not a member of a "Goon Squad."
Judge's Remarks and Prosecution
Before giving Hartfield a 10-year sentence, Lee said Hartfield did not have a history of using excessive force and was roped into the brutal episode by one of the former deputies, Christian Dedmon. Lee said, however, that Hartfield failed to intervene in the violence and participated in a cover-up. The federal prosecutor argued for lengthy sentences, stating that McAlpin was not technically a member of the Goon Squad but "molded the men into the goons they became."
Victims' Testimony and Charges
Jenkins and Parker called for Bryan Bailey's resignation and filed a $400 million civil lawsuit against the department. In a statement read by his attorney, Jenkins said he "felt like a slave" and was "left to die like a dog." "If those who are in charge of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office can participate in these kinds of torture, God help us all," Jenkins said. "And God help Rankin County."
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