‘Got Off Easy?’: Mississippi County Residents Outraged Over $2.5M Settlement for Black Men Who Were Tortured by Sheriff’s ‘Goon Squad’
The final chapter of the so-called “Goon Squad”—six rogue police officers who terrorized central Mississippi—closed last week as Rankin County officials agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit—sparking outrage from residents who said the payout doesn’t come close to delivering justice for two Black men tortured by deputies.
The settlement, finalized two years after the brutal January 24, 2023, attack on Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, concludes a $400 million legal action against Rankin County and Sheriff Bryan Bailey.
“What amount is enough? In anyone’s life to pay for that,” said local resident Will Sims. “I just feel like the sheriff’s department got off easy as far the amount is concerned.”
While the original lawsuit sought $400 million in damages, the final payout was limited by practical constraints. Attorneys for Jenkins and Parker said they pursued what was realistically available: the county’s insurance policy capped at $2 million, and an additional $500,000 from the sheriff’s department budget. Rankin County’s attorney, Jason Dare, confirmed the funds would come entirely from those sources, with no new taxes imposed.
The six officers involved — now serving time for federal and state crimes — have no assets to satisfy any civil judgment, meaning larger damages would have been symbolic rather than recoverable.
Trent Walker, an attorney for the victims, confirmed that the settlement included $500,000 from the sheriff’s office budget and $2 million from its insurance policy.
“I feel like we got what was available, certainly more than what was initially offered,” Walker said. “What the public needs to realize is that there’s a difference between holding the individual officers accountable, and in this case, they are all in prison and do not have any funds to satisfy judgment in any amount. There’s a difference between holding them accountable and holding the county accountable,” Walker said, according to WAPT.
Two years ago, Jenkins and Parker were assaulted in a home in Braxton by six white law enforcement officers who called themselves “The Goon Squad” — a name born from their pattern of racist violence and lawless tactics.
All six officers — former Rankin County deputies Brett McAlpin, Daniel Opdyke, Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, and Jeffrey Middleton, as well as former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield — have been sentenced on both state and federal charges related to the torture.
The night of horrors began when Deputy McAlpin received an anonymous phone tip complaining that two Black men were living with a white woman, which is not illegal and should have been dismissed as nonsense. Instead, the call set off a violent chain of events in which Dedmon texted other deputies known for their brutality. Soon, the Goon Squad stormed the home in Braxton.
Once inside, they handcuffed Jenkins and Parker, poured milk, alcohol, and chocolate syrup over their faces, and forced them to strip naked and shower together in an attempt to erase the evidence. They hurled racial slurs, used stun guns, and ultimately, Deputy Elward shot Jenkins in the mouth. The officers then planted drugs and a gun to justify the violence, leaving both men facing false charges.
Jenkins sustained a broken jaw and lacerated tongue and continues to undergo medical treatment.
“No monetary value could ever justify the amount of mental and physical abuse and trauma these men have been subjected to,” said Angela English, president of the Rankin County NAACP, in a written statement. “It will never truly be over for Michael, who has to undergo medical procedures for the gunshot injuries he sustained and mental health therapy,” English said.
Despite the outrage over the settlement figure, English acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the outcome.
“The fact that they were able to get anything—including convictions of all white law officers in the state—and correct me if I’m wrong, historically, $2.5 million is the most paid for excessive force in Rankin County or Mississippi.”
Attorneys for Jenkins and Parker said no decision has been made on whether to pursue civil judgments against the individual officers.
In a statement, the victims’ legal team asked for privacy. “We plead for the public to have them and their families have their privacy in order to heal,” the statement said, according to WJTV 12 News. “In the name of justice… we are hoping their cases can be resolved soon and allow Rankin County and the State of Mississippi [to] turn a new and better page in policing and racial relations.”
Community members echoed those sentiments.
“I just hope the citizens will continue to come together in unison to really make this a great community that everybody can enjoy and not be harassed because of your race,” Sims said.