Mississippi
Mississippi police officer loses job after telling man to 'go back to Mexico'
RICHLAND, Miss. (AP) — A white Mississippi police officer has lost his job after telling a Hispanic man to “go back to Mexico” while the officer was responding to a disturbance at a home.
The officer resigned after he was “relieved of duty” for using “derogatory slurs,” Richland Police Chief Adrian Ready said in a statement Wednesday.
“This type of language is not only unacceptable, but it also undermines the trust and respect that we work hard to build within our community,” Ready said.
The officer, Jeremy Rast, responded to a home disturbance call Sunday with other officers in Richland, a Jackson suburb. Rast told WLBT-TV that the officers exchanged words with a group of men across the road.
WLBT reported that it had obtained video that one of the men, Luis Rodriguez, made of Rast talking to him.
“Like, why don’t you go back to Mexico or something,” Rast said on the video. “Like, whatever. I don’t care. Just get the f—- out of Richland for me, please. … I do not like y’all being here.”
Rodriguez replied that he did not like officers being on his property. Rast responded that Rodriguez cannot legally own property, adding, “you’re illegal.”
Rast also told Rodriguez: “I’m going look for you every shift to try to arrest you.”
Rodriguez and Rast both told WLBT that they had encountered each other previously.
Rodriguez said he is a native of Honduras and a graduate of Richland High School. Rodriguez said because of the statements made by Rast, he is preparing to move out of Mississippi. He said he’s concerned he will be targeted by others in law enforcement.
“Even though he got fired, there might be still some more police officers who think of us like him,” Rodriguez said.
Rast told WLBT he spoke harshly out of frustration with Rodriguez.
“I did make some comments that were inappropriate and unprofessional, I take full responsibility for that,” Rast said. “(I’m) not proud of what I said.”
Rast also said he wants to continue a law enforcement career.
Richland is in Rankin County, where five former sheriff’s department officers and a former Richland police officer 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. Those six former officers — some of whom called themselves the Goon Squad — were sentenced on federal charges in March and state charges in April.
A Mississippi man is charged with killing his mother after authorities allegedly found him trying to flush pieces of her flesh down a toilet in what a local sheriff called one of “the most heinous crimes that I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life.”
Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., 29, faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his mother, Lana Brown Bradley, 62, a retired teacher.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies initially responded April 4 to Bradley’s home in Natchez, after her relatives reported her missing.
Jackson was initially identified as a family member of Bradley before investigators confirmed he was her son.
“This is by far the most heinous crime that I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. We weren’t out there that day; this was one of those things when we walked up. This was one of those cases that you will never, ever forget in your life. This is the type of case that follows you home,” Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten told WJTV.
Deputies were called to Bradley’s home after her oldest son could not reach her the previous day. Two of Bradley’s other sons lived with her.
“As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house. Floor was extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that,” Patten explained.
Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom where deputies allegedly saw a black substance in the toilet.
“I can say what was in the toilet, and it was her flesh. He chopped her up in pieces and dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her would have to do their due diligence to find her, and that’s just what we did,” the sheriff said.
Authorities stated that Jackson had allegedly placed his mother’s body parts in a suitcase and flushed the rest down the toilet after dismembering her.
Bradley had threatened to evict her son from the home, according to the sheriff, who cited interviews with family members stating that Jackson was mentally unstable.
However, Patten noted that Jackson was “very calculating” when he allegedly committed the crime.
“He had threatened her the day before because she was looking to have him evicted from the home. She was in the process of doing so and had just gone to court the day before to have him removed from the home,” Patten explained.
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Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
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Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from April 28 drawing
01-03-09-22-31
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Winning Cash 3 numbers from April 28 drawing
Midday: 6-2-9, FB: 8
Evening: 1-1-2, FB: 1
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Midday: 5-0-9-8, FB: 8
Evening: 1-8-8-1, FB: 1
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Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 28 drawing
Midday: 08
Evening: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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