A case of extreme police violence against black people in the USA has ended with a long prison sentence for the main defendant. Six police officers brutally abused two men.
In the US state of Mississippi, a former police officer who tortured two black men with colleagues has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Another former police officer in the group is to be sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. The sentences for the other four ex-officials are expected in the coming days.
The men, all white, admitted last August to torturing their two victims for two hours with a Taser, sex toys and a sword.
Mistreated and racially insulted
According to the court, the group forcibly entered the black men’s apartment in the small town of Braxton in January 2023 without a search warrant. There, the officers at the time handcuffed the men, beat and kicked them, gave them electric shocks and humiliated them with racist insults.
The police also forced the two men to drink alcohol, cooking oil, milk and other liquids. They are also said to have abused their victims with a sex toy.
Mock execution of a victim
In a kind of mock execution, the perpetrator, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, shot one of the victims in the mouth and broke his jaw, as the Justice Department in Washington announced. Even “while the victim was lying bleeding on the ground,” the police tried to cover up their crime.
The police reportedly destroyed the house’s video surveillance and tried to burn the victims’ clothing. They also placed a firearm on a victim and placed methamphetamine at the crime scene to create a motive for the use.
Justice Minister speaks of a “heinous attack”
According to consistent media reports, the crime was triggered by a call from a neighbor who complained that two black people were living together with a white woman. A third party then informed the group.
Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke of a “heinous attack” by officials who had actually sworn an oath to protect their citizens.
The former police officers lied to investigators several times about what happened. In handing down the sentence, according to court documents, the judge said a prison sentence at the upper end of the possible range was more than justified given the egregious nature of the crime.
Sebastian Hesse, ARD Washington, tagesschau, March 20, 2024 7:39 a.m