Almost two weeks after Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker filed a $400 million federal civil lawsuit against Rankin County in Mississippi and several of the department’s peace officers, an unspecified number of deputies has been terminated.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey says an investigation revealed certain “developments” in the case, giving grounds for their dismissal.
At a news conference on Tuesday, June 27, Bailey was brief with his comments, stating, “Due to recent developments, including findings during our internal investigation, those deputies that were still employed by this department have all been terminated.”
Some of the officers that were not fired, according to WCYB, resigned.
Prior to the internal probe, the terminated deputies spent time on administrative leave.
“We understand that the alleged actions of these deputies has eroded the public’s trust in the department,” said the sheriff. “Rest assured that we will work diligently to restore that trust.”
Bailey did not reveal the names of the officers that were let go, but according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Mississippi by attorney Malik Shabazz and obtained by Atlanta Black Star, three of the officers involved in the Jenkins and Parker lawsuit are Hunter Elward, Brett Mc’Alpin and Christian Dedmon. Three other deputies are listed with the name John Doe.
Shabazz applauded the sheriff’s office’s decision to terminate the deputies.
“The firing of the Rankin County Mississippi Sheriff’s deputies involved in the torture and shooting of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker is a significant action on the path to justice for one of the worst law enforcement tragedies in recent memory,” Shabazz said. “Sheriff Bryan Bailey has finally acted after supporting much of the bloodshed that has occurred under his reign in Rankin County.”
While speaking to the press, the sheriff also declined to comment on…
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