Mississippi deputies accused of abusing Black men have been fired

Sheriff’s deputies in Mississippi have been fired or have resigned following an investigation into allegations that they beat and sexually assaulted two Black men, officials with the sheriff’s office say.

Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker say in January, deputies entered a home without a warrant and beat them, tased them and assaulted them with a sex toy.

Jenkins says one deputy pushed a gun into his mouth and fired it, causing him serious injuries.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said on Tuesday that people involved in the incident had been fired, and that some had resigned. He did not provide details about how many deputies had been fired, nor did he name any of them.

“Due to recent developments, including findings during our internal investigation, those deputies that were still employed by this department have all been terminated,” he said.

Deputies raided the address on suspicion of drug activity. There is no body camera footage of the encounter. The Associated Press reports records show the deputies’ tasers were turned on and off and used repeatedly during the incident.

SEE MORE: Miss. deputies accused of sticking guns in mouths of 2 Black men

Jenkins and Parker have filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court over the encounter, for which they’re seeking $400 million in damages.

“The firing of the Rankin County Mississippi Sheriff’s deputies involved in the torture and shooting of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker is a significant action on the path to justice for one of the worst law enforcement tragedies in recent memory,” their attorney Malik Shabazz said in a statement.

Shabazz also called for Mississippi’s attorney general and for the U.S. Department of Justice to make criminal indictments.

The Department of Justice opened an investigation into the incident in February.

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