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Mississippi sheriff fires deputies accused of sexually assaulting Black men and shooting one in mouth

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Mississippi sheriff fires deputies accused of sexually assaulting Black men and shooting one in mouth


JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Deputies accused of beating and sexually assaulting two Black men before shooting one of them in the mouth, prompting a federal civil rights investigation, have been fired, a Mississippi sheriff announced Tuesday.

The announcement comes months after Michael Corey Jenkins and his friend Eddie Terrell Parker said six deputies from the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department burst into a home without a warrant. The men said deputies beat them, assaulted them with a sex toy and shocked them repeatedly with Tasers in a roughly 90-minute period during the Jan. 24 episode, Jenkins and Parker said.

Jenkins said one of the deputies shoved a gun in his mouth and then fired the weapon, leaving him with serious injuries to his face, tongue and jaw.

READ MORE: NAACP sues Mississippi over ‘separate and unequal policing’ as state-run patrols expand

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Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey announced Tuesday that deputies involved in the episode had been fired, but he would not provide the names of the deputies who had been terminated or say how many law enforcement officers were fired. Bailey would not answer additional questions about the January’s episode.

“Due to recent developments, including findings during our internal investigation, those deputies that were still employed by this department have all been terminated,” Bailey said at a news conference. “We understand that the alleged actions of these deputies has eroded the public’s trust department. Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust.”

Bailey’s announcement also follows an Associated Press investigation that found several deputies who were involved with the episode were also linked to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries. Deputies who had been accepted to the sheriff’s office’s Special Response Team — a tactical unit whose members receive advanced training — were involved in each of the four encounters.

Deputies said the raid was prompted by a report of drug activity at the home. Police and court records obtained by the AP revealed the identities of two deputies at the Jenkins raid: Hunter Elward and Christian Dedmon. It was not immediately clear whether any of the deputies had attorneys who could comment on their behalf.

READ MORE: Tyre Nichols’ mother discusses lawsuit against Memphis and officers who beat him

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The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department after the episode.

There is no body camera footage of the episode. Records obtained by The AP show that Tasers used by the deputies were turned on, turned off or used dozens of times during a roughly 65-minute period before Jenkins was shot.

Jenkins and Parker have also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and are seeking $400 million in damages.

 

Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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Earthquake strikes Jackson, MS area on Thanksgiving Day. See the details

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Earthquake strikes Jackson, MS area on Thanksgiving Day. See the details


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A 2.5 magnitude earthquake struck near the Ross Barnett Reservoir on Thanksgiving Day, the United States Geological Survey confirmed.

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The minor-earthquake struck around 12 kilometers southeast of Canton at a depth of 5 kilometers. It happened around 7:48 a.m. No damage was reported.

The quake was recorded on the north side of the of the reservoir near where Highway 43 crosses the lake and south of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Earthquakes have occurred in the region before.

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“Until 2014, when the dramatic increase in earthquake rates gave Oklahoma the number one ranking in the conterminous U.S., the most seismically active area east of the Rocky Mountains was in the Mississippi Valley area known as the New Madrid seismic zone,” according to the USGS website.

In the winter of 1811 and 1812, according to the USGS, the New Madrid seismic zone “generated a sequence of earthquakes that lasted for several months and included three very large earthquakes estimated to be between magnitude 7 and 8. The three largest 1811-1812 earthquakes destroyed several settlements along the Mississippi River, caused minor structural damage as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Missouri, and were felt as far away as Hartford, Connecticut, Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana.”

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake also struck in Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day.

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Minor earthquake recorded in Mississippi on Thanksgiving

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Minor earthquake recorded in Mississippi on Thanksgiving


MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A minor earthquake was recorded in Mississippi early Thanksgiving morning.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the 2.5-magnitude earthquake occurred southeast of Canton near the Ross Barnett Reservoir around 1:48 a.m. on Thursday, November 28.

Officials with the Michigan Technological University said earthquakes below 2.5-magnitude are “generally not felt.” So far, there are no reports of any damage in Madison County.

The last earthquake that occurred in Madison County was a 2.8-magnitude earthquake in 2019.

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Thanksgiving on Mississippi Public Broadcasting Think Radio, set to air on Thursday, November 28th

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Thanksgiving on Mississippi Public Broadcasting Think Radio, set to air on Thursday, November 28th


MISSISSIPPI (KTVE/KARD) — For Thanksgiving, on Thursday, November 28, 2024, the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Radio will air a special programming.

Photo courtesy of Mississippi Public Broadcasting

According to officials, “Turkey Confidential” and “Feasting with the Great American Songbook: An Afterglow Thanksgiving Special” will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Francis Lam will be taking calls and help those in need of Thanksgiving cooking tips for the biggest cooking day of the year.

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According to officals, “Feasting with the Great American Songbook: An Afterglow Thanksgiving Special” will explore classic jazz and popular songs about food by singers like Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, and Fats Waller, perfect for listening while sitting at the table.



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