6 whites plead guilty to assault on 2 black men

A federal jury in Louisiana acquits a white state trooper for civil rights violation despite body-camera footage of the beating of a black motorist

A federal jury in Louisiana on Wednesday acquitted a white state trooper charged with violating the civil rights of a Black motorist despite body-camera footage that showed the officer pummeling the man 18 times with a flashlight.

The acquittal comes as federal prosecutors are still scrutinizing other Louisiana state troopers caught on body-camera video punching, stunning and dragging another Black motorist, Ronald Greene, before he died in their custody on a rural roadside. The federal probe is looking into whether police brass impeded justice by protecting the troopers who beat the man.

On the night that Bowman was pulled over for “improper lane usage,” Brown came upon the scene after deputies had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground in the driveaway of his Monroe home. Police records show that he beat him 18 times with a flashlight.

Brown’s defense attorney, Scott Wolleson, told The Associated Press he was grateful for the verdict. “The men and women of the jury recognized the risks law enforcement officers like Jacob Brown face on our behalf every day,” he said.

Bowman’s attorney, Ron Haley, said the acquittal “shows it’s incredibly hard to prove a civil rights violation in federal court.” He said the attack had changed Bowman’s life.

The body-camera footage from the two separate beatings, which took place less than three weeks and 20 miles apart, was not released to the public. The cases were among a dozen highlighted in an AP investigation that revealed a pattern of troopers and their bosses ignoring or concealing evidence of beatings, deflecting blame and impeding efforts to root out misconduct.

Brown is the son of Bob Brown, a longtime trooper who oversaw statewide criminal investigations and, before retiring, was the agency’s chief of staff. The elder Brown was reprimanded years before he was promoted to the agency’s second in command, for calling black coworkers the n-word and hanging a Confederate flag in his office.

The civil rights probe was launched by the Justice Department. The state charges against the former officers were announced Thursday by the attorney general’s office.

The Alabama narco-police officer convicted of a beating by a white man in Braxton, Mississippi, on behalf of Jacob and Brandon Brown

U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown, who is not related to Jacob Brown, told AP he was proud of the 48-year-old Bowman for having the courage to tell his story.

He said that the cases were arguably the toughest to investigate and prosecute. The victim’s civil rights were violated. We will have to respect the decision of the jury.

“These guilty pleas are historic for justice against the police torture that has taken place in America,” Shabazz said. “Today is truly historic for Mississippi and for civil and human rights in America.”

“This is the most horrible incident of police brutality I’ve learned of over my whole career, and I’m ashamed it happened at this department,” Bailey said.

The officers initially went to the home in Braxton because a white neighbor complained Black people were staying with a white woman who owned the house. The documents show that the homeowner’s friend was helping to care for her.

The documents say that officers used racist slurs against the two men, and told them to stay out of Rankin County or the Pearl River, areas with higher concentrations of Black residents.

Six white ex-officers in Mississippi plead guilty to assault on two black men: A resigned New York City sheriff judge sentenced to 120 years in prison

According to court documents, Elward put a gun in the mouth of Jenkins and fired. The bullet lacerated Jenkins’ tongue and broke his jaw before exiting his neck.

If they were to enter without a warrant, they would avoid being seen by the home’s security cameras. They wanted to use excessive force but didn’t want to cause visible injuries to the man’s faces, so there would be no bad mugshots.

The handcuffed victims were forced to lie on their backs and poured booze, milk and chocolate syrup into their mouths by the deputy. They forced the men to strip naked and shower to remove the evidence.

The officers also repeatedly electrocuted the victims with stun guns to compare whether the sheriff’s department or police department weapons were more powerful. One deputy, Middleton, said he would plant a gun at the scene.

Despite recurring instances of police corruption and brutality, most officers are doing their jobs properly, said Keith Taylor, a criminal justice professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former New York City police officer.

The five fired or resigned officers were announced by the sheriff on June 27. Hartfield was later revealed to be the sixth officer and also was fired.

U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said the men will be sentenced in mid-November. Dedmon and Elward could be sentenced to 120 years in prison, along with life in prison and $2.75 million in fines. Hartfield faces a possible sentence of 80 years and $1.5 million, McAlpin faces 90 years and $1.75 million, Middleton faces 80 years and $1.5 million, and Opdyke could be sentenced to 100 years with a $2 million fine.

All six of the former officers were taken into custody by federal marshals after walking into the courthouse. The defense attorneys did not comment on their clients’ behavior during the court appearance.

Source: 6 white ex-officers in Mississippi plead guilty to assault on 2 Black men

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In June of this year, the victims, MichaelCorey’s and Eddie’s, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county for $400 million in damages. The victims are identified in documents only by their initials, but Jenkins and Parker have discussed the episode publicly.

The Mississippi officers caused harm to the entire community because they felt they couldn’t trust them, said the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, by the police, in 2020 has led to increased scrutiny of law enforcement brutality in the US.

The civil rights charges come after an investigation by The Associated Press linked the deputies to at least four violent encounters with Black men since 2019 that left two dead and another with lasting injuries.

“The defendants in this case tortured and inflicted unspeakable harm on their victims,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said, adding they “egregiously violated the civil rights of citizens who they were supposed to protect.”

Dedmon, Elward and Opdyke also pleaded guilty to three federal felony offenses for a separate incident on Dec. 4. Prosecutors said Dedmon beat a white man, used a Taser on him and fired a gun near his head to coerce a confession, while Elward and Opdyke failed to intervene.

Five former Rankin County Sheriff’s Department employees pleaded guilty, including Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke. Joshua Hartfield, a former Richland police officer who was off duty when he participated in the raid, also pleaded guilty.

The six former police officers pleaded guilty to their roles in the racist assault on two Black men that resulted in one of the men being shot in the mouth.