The Goon Squad came to national attention last year after Rankin County sheriff’s deputies tortured two Black men in their home and shot one of them in the face, nearly killing him. Six officers, including three from the Goon Squad shift, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March. The department’s lawyer, Jason Dare, declined to say whether department leaders had requested copies of the group chat from deputies or Justice Department investigators. The chat shows that deputies working under Middleton began calling themselves the Goon Squad as far back as 2019. They discussed how Sheriff Bailey would react, referring to him by his badge number, “1.”“I’m not sure how 1 will feel about the goon squad,” Middleton wrote.

Source: New York Times June 06, 2024 16:25 UTC