Mississippi officers accused of waterboarding suspects with milk, forcing gun in mouth and threatening with sex toy

Two Mississippi men are pushing for civil rights charges to be brought against six white Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies as more details about alleged torture emerged including milk, a sex toy, and a gun placed in one of their mouths.

On Jan. 24, the deputies in question arrived at the home of Eddie Terrell Parker when his friend, Michael Corey Jenkins, was said to be visiting. At that time, court filings allege that those members of law enforcement burst into the home and proceeded to “torture” Jenkins and Parker, both black, before ultimately placing a gun in the former’s mouth and firing it.

Monday, the Associated Press reported on a letter, provided by Jenkins’ attorney Malik Shabazz, that had been submitted to the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights Kristen Clarke. Therein, Shabazz encouraged civil rights charges to be brought against the deputies as he accused the county of a coverup.

“This extreme case of police brutality warrants enforcement of the civil rights criminal laws on the books,” the attorney said in a statement. “Sheriff Bryan Bailey and Rankin County are covering up the truth of what happened on Jan. 24, and all parties must be held accountable.”

The allegations described being shocked repeatedly with stun guns over a 90-minute span during which they were also forced to lie on their backs while milk was poured on their faces. Throughout the supposed interrogation, Parker and Jenkins also claimed that they were stripped naked and forced to shower together and, at some point, deputies attempted to use a sex toy on them.

“No deputy has been disciplined or terminated by Rankin County and all the deputies are still roaming the public at large,” Shabazz’ letter argued as he asserted the incident demanded an investigation into a “pattern and practice of police misconduct and police brutality.”

At the end of the alleged torture, Jenkins said that he had a gun placed in his mouth. Hospital records indicated that the man suffered a laceration on his tongue and a broken jaw however, the deputies have said that Jenkins was only shot after he himself had reportedly pointed a gun at them.

The man’s attorney contended that his client did not have a gun.

Mississippi does not require the use of officer-worn body cameras and, when asked to produce such footage, sheriff’s department attorney Jason Dare said there was no record of any, nor was there a record of dashcam footage from the night in question.

Jenkins had been charged with possession of two to 10 grams of methamphetamine and aggravated assault and Parker was charged with possession of paraphernalia and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

The identities of the deputies were not provided, but the AP cited their own investigation in stating there had been at least four violent encounters between Rankin County deputies and black men since 2019 where two had been left dead and one other man claimed to have had a gun placed in his mouth.

Kevin Haggerty

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