MADRID, 4 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Six former Mississippi police officers pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to torturing two black men earlier this year, the federal attorney for the southern district of Mississippi said.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the police officers assaulted the two men in the house where they lived in Rankin County, being arrested without probable cause, illegally detained, beaten, tortured and falsely accused of serious crimes.
“The six white police officers involved in this assault sought to dehumanize their victims and send a message that these two black men were not welcome,” said Justice Department Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.
Thus, it has indicated that they handcuffed the victims, uttered racist insults and derogatory language, fired a weapon to scare the victims, and forced them to drink liquids such as cooking oil, milk or alcohol. They were also beaten and personal belongings were stolen.
“This abominable course of conduct culminated in defendant Elward forcing the firearm (…) into the mouth of one of the victims and pulling the trigger in an attempt to scare him. He did this not once, but twice, and when did it a second time, a bullet passed through the victim’s mouth and throat and exited through the neck causing fatal injuries. Remarkably, the victim survived the shooting despite the fact that these defendants left him lying on the ground, dripping with blood, during considerable time without providing medical care,” Clarke explained.
The prosecutor has added that the agents made up a false story to “try to cover up their misconduct”, lying about their illegal entry into the victim’s residence, accusing the victims of crimes they did not commit and fabricating evidence to use against them. of these, placing bullet casings and clothing.
Thus, it has stressed that “any act of police abuse threatens the administration of justice, erodes trust between the public and law enforcement officials, and instills fear in communities that are targets of such abuses.”
“The details of the crimes these defendants committed are a horrific and stark example of violent police misconduct that has no place in our current society,” the prosecutor has sentenced.
The accusation document, consulted by CNN, indicates that these ex-agents “call themselves ‘The Goon Squad’ (The thug squad), due to their willingness to use excessive force and not report it.” The incident, which occurred on January 24, came to light after the filing of a federal civil lawsuit.
