Mississippi sheriff department to conduct investigation following disclosure of a "Goon Squad" group's details in news story.
A group of deputies referred to themselves as the "Goon Squad" due to their penchant for using excessive force and failing to report incidents, according to federal prosecutors. They were caught exchanging messages detailing their brutal treatment of suspects, including taunts and exchanging images of "rotting corpses."
In one instance from a 2022 domestic violence arrest, Deputy Hunter Elward asked if they had electrocuted a man in the face. Fellow Goon Squad member Daniel Opdyke questioned if any anal shocking occurred. Another deputy expressed regret for not inflicting more pain on the man, mentioning that passersby were witnessing.
Members of this chat group also discussed snapping nude photos of a woman they had arrested, the report states.
The group also mentioned earning "points" for discharging their firearms.
The report allegedly contains content from a former deputy's private cell phone. As the sheriff's department cannot compel an employee to provide their private data, they requested the complete private text chain from the New York Times for an internal assessment.
Three other deputies, including Opdyke and Elward, are still employed by the department but haven't been linked to constitutional rights violations or criminal offenses. It's unclear if any of them took part in this chat.
Former deputies Elward, Opdyke, and Jeffrey Middleton are among those charged with sexually assaulting and kidnapping two innocent Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, in January 2023. The group pleaded guilty and is currently serving state and federal prison sentences.
The planning of the assault on Jenkins and Parker is believed to have taken place on WhatsApp, according to the Department of Justice, yet it's unclear if the group chat in the Times report is the same one referenced by the Justice Department.
CNN has not acquired the entire chat described in the report.
A member of the group who no longer works for the sheriff's department described his messages as "jokes" in an interview with the New York Times.
The sheriff's office claims they became aware of the Goon Squad and the sheriff, Bryan Bailey, after a bill of information was filed in federal court. They had been unaware of these officers' attempts to avoid detection using private text messages.
Attorney Jeff Reynolds, who represents Opdyke, commented on the news, noting Opdyke cooperated by sharing the encrypted WhatsApp texts. In his March statement, Reynolds observed, "The notion that they were just 'joking' about torturing people in their private WhatsApp messages is strained, to say the least, given the numerous documented incidents of torture."
The attorneys of the other Goon Squad members have not yet responded to CNN's requests for comment.
Malik Shabazz, the attorney representing Jenkins and Parker, found these new revelations "not surprising at all." He added, "For years, the lawlessness of Rankin County's deputies, particularly the night shift, had become notorious. The shootings and torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker were not done in isolation. There will be much more to come."
Angela English, the NAACP Rankin County chapter president, was shocked by the report, stating, "What I've read is extremely disturbing ... we will not give up the fight."
The Mississippi Attorney General's office, represented by Mary Asa Lee, wouldn't comment on ongoing investigations. The US Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Todd Gee and his divisions also declined to comment on the current investigation but held a session in Rankin County earlier this month, encouraging residents to recount police misconduct.
"We know from the public who have already called... that there have been a lot of other incidents here in Rankin County over the years," Gee stated. "I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to share what has happened to you, what has happened to your friends, what has happened to your family."
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The Mississippi sheriff's department is conducting an investigation into the actions of the department's staff, specifically in relation to the "Goon Squad" group, following the disclosure of their misconduct in a news story.
During the investigation, it will be crucial for US authorities to review messages exchanged between Deputy Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, and other Goon Squad members, as they have been implicated in discussions about using excessive force,electrocution, and inflicting pain on suspects.
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