Former Mississippi police officer sentenced to 20 years in federal assault case

LONDON: A former Mississippi law enforcement officer who was part of a group that called itself the “Goon Squad,” according to prosecutors, was on Tuesday sentenced to 20 years in prison on US civil rights charges for brutally assaulting two Black men, including shooting one in the mouth, local media reported.

Hunter Elward, who pled guilty last year, was the first of six white former law enforcement officers involved to be sentenced over the next three days in a US District Court in Mississippi. The men are charged with several federal crimes including deprivation of rights and obstruction of justice.

“I don’t think any commentary is necessary because it’s so apparent the egregious and despicable nature of the crimes,” District Judge Tom Lee, said as he sentenced Elward to 241 months, according to WLBT News, an NBC affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi.

Elward was among five former Rankin County, Mississippi sheriff’s deputies involved. The sixth man was a police officer in Richland, Mississippi.

According to federal prosecutors, Elward along with Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke and Richland officer Joshua Hartfield - went to a home in Braxton, Mississippi, without a search warrant on Jan 24, 2023.

The sheriff’s office had received a complaint from a white neighbour that they had seen “suspicious behavior” from the Black men living at the residence, according to court documents.