Six Officers Plead Guilty to Abuse of Black Men

Six former Rankin County law enforcement officers, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Christian Dedmon, Leonard Elward, Daniel Updyke, and Joshua Hartfield, have pleaded guilty to charges related to the abuse of two Black men in a Jackson, Mississippi, court.

The charges include conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under the court of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice.

Dedmon and Elward are also facing charges for using a firearm in an act of violence, which carries a potential life sentence.

The officers made their initial court appearances before Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors are recommending that they be held until their sentencing, as bond has not yet been set.