This investigation is separate and independent from the federal criminal civil rights prosecutions of Rankin County deputies related to the assaults of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker.

The investigation comes after Rankin County sheriff's deputies and a Richland police officer, called the "Goon Squad," were sentenced to federal prison.

Six former officers, who were members of a self-proclaimed "Goon Squad," were sentenced to decades in prison for torturing two Black men.

The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the sheriff’s department in Mississippi’s Rankin County after several of its deputies – including some who were in a self-styled “Goon Squad” – abused and tortured two Black men in a racially charged home raid last year.

The Justice Department will investigate whether the Rankin County Sheriff's Office engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force and racial discrimination.

"We will continue this transparency and will fully cooperate with all aspects of this investigation," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

The racist attack included beatings, repeated use of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth, officials said.