'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men

An anti-police brutality activist looks back at the entrance to the Rankin County Sheriff's Office in Brandon, Miss.

The two officers and four others, all part of a self-named "Goon Squad," tortured and sexually assaulted two Black men in January 2023

(Image credit: Rogelio V. Solis / AP Photo)

By Peter Weber, The Week US

published 20 March 2024

What happened

A federal judge in Jackson, Mississippi, sentenced two former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Tuesday for their roles in torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men in January 2023. The two officers and four others, all part of a self-named "Goon Squad," pleaded guilty last year. Hunter Elward, 31, was sentenced to 20 years for abusing the men, Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, and shooting Jenkins in the mouth during a "mock execution." Goon Squad leader Jeffrey Middleton, 46, got 17.5 years.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.