Bobbie Adams, a Black man from Mississippi, filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a former officer in the Rankin County “Goon Squad” set a police dog on him while he was handcuffed on the ground in 2021. The lawsuit also claims that another officer, Christian Dedmon, falsified a report about the incident. Dedmon was one of six Goon Squad officers recently sentenced for torturing two other Black men. Adams attempted to flee from deputies after being caught selling methamphetamine, but surrendered when surrounded by officers. While handcuffed on the ground, Adams alleges that Officer Shack ordered the police dog VooDoo to attack him, causing injuries.
The lawsuit claims that it took several minutes for deputies to request medical attention for Adams and even longer for dispatchers to confirm that a police dog had been released. Dedmon’s police report stated that Adams kicked at the dog, which caused him to bite several times. However, the lawsuit disputes this and alleges that another deputy told medical personnel that Adams hurt his foot while running from officers. The suit does not name the other officers present at the scene and claims that the sheriff’s office denied requests for information from the investigative file. No body camera footage of the incident has been released.
Attorney Trent Walker, who represented the two Black men tortured by the Goon Squad officers, believes that the lawsuit against Rankin County deputies is just the beginning. Walker blames Sheriff Bryan Bailey for the culture of violence within the department, alleging that it has been a longstanding issue. Bailey has denied any knowledge of the actions of the officers involved in the incidents. Several white officers connected with the Goon Squad have been implicated in cases of abuse and excessive force against residents of Rankin County.
In another incident in 2022, Dedmon beat and shocked a man in an attempt to coerce a confession, firing a gun towards the man’s head. Other officers failed to intervene in the situation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Residents and attorneys have called for Sheriff Bailey to resign or be removed from office due to his alleged responsibility for the corrupt behavior of the officers under his command. Despite facing calls for his resignation, Bailey was reelected as sheriff in an unopposed election last year. Rankin County residents have protested against the abusive behavior of the Goon Squad officers and demanded accountability from the sheriff’s office.
