The US Department of Justice has initiated a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County sheriff's department in Mississippi following a horrific racist attack on two Black men. This investigation comes after five Rankin sheriff's deputies were found guilty of breaking into a home without a warrant and subjecting Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker to a brutal assault involving beatings, stun guns, and racial slurs, culminating in one victim being shot in the mouth. Additionally, a sixth officer from the Richland police department was also convicted in connection with the attack.

The Department of Justice's investigation will focus on determining if the Rankin sheriff's department has a history of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches, and arrests, and implementing racially discriminatory policing practices. This probe, led by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, aims to uncover any systemic issues within the law enforcement agency that may have contributed to the abhorrent behavior displayed by the officers involved in the attack on Jenkins and Parker. The convicted officers, who have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 40 years, were part of a group known as the "Goon Squad," indicating a readiness to use disproportionate force.

The appalling incident began with a racist call for violence, prompting the officers to storm the victims' residence in Braxton where they subjected Jenkins and Parker to degrading and inhumane treatment. The victims were handcuffed, humiliated with milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup, and forced to strip naked while enduring racial taunts and assaults with sex objects. As the Department of Justice delves further into the Rankin County sheriff's department's conduct, additional distressing incidents have come to light, underscoring the urgent need for a thorough investigation to address any underlying patterns of misconduct.