Sentencing for deputies, officer in assault of 2 Black men delayed

Mississippi residents called for the removal of the county sheriff after sentencing of his deputies, who were involved in the torture of two Black residents, was delayed.

Rankin County, Mississippi, residents and activists have called for the removal of the county sheriff after the sentencing of his deputies, who were involved in the torture and sexual abuse of two Black residents, was delayed for a second time.

"If our leadership is not in order, the system cannot be in order," said Tasha Parker co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee, a local activist organization.

The Rankin NAACP chapter along with the Local Organizing Committee and Rankin residents held a press conference Jan. 15 after a second delay in the sentencing of six former law enforcement officers who were convicted of assault in August 2023.

Sentencing for Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton, Hunter Elward, Daniel Opdyke, and Joshua Hartfield was meant to begin on Jan. 16 but was postponed until March 19. This marks the second time the sentencing has been delayed by the judge.