The Deputies Who Tortured a Mississippi County

Summary

Reveal Podcast Summary: "The Deputies Who Tortured a Mississippi County"

Published on March 22, 2025

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "The Deputies Who Tortured a Mississippi County," Reveal delves deep into a harrowing investigation uncovering systemic abuse within the Rankin County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi. Hosted by Al Letson, and featuring the investigative efforts of reporters Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield from Mississippi Today and The New York Times, this episode exposes a disturbing pattern of brutality and racial discrimination perpetrated by local law enforcement officers over the past two decades.

Background: Rankin County and Sheriff Brian Bailey

Rankin County, Mississippi, presents a stark contrast to its neighbor, Jackson. While Jackson has been grappling with a declining population and rising crime rates, partly due to white flight and economic downturns, Rankin County has flourished, attracting businesses and new residents seeking safety and stability. This growth has been closely tied to the leadership of Sheriff Brian Bailey, first elected in 2011 on a platform of combating drug-related crime and ensuring community safety.

Sheriff Bailey, a protege of the late Lloyd "Goon" Jones, who held sway over neighboring Simpson County for over two decades, inherited a policing culture that prioritized aggressive tactics against perceived criminal elements. Jones, notorious for his brutal methods, had earned the moniker "Lloyd Goon Jones" from civil rights activists, reflecting his oppressive approach toward Black communities.

Initial Allegations: The Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker Case

The investigation begins in the dead of night in January 2023 when deputies surrounded the home of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker under the guise of a drug bust. Official reports claimed that Jenkins pointed a gun at deputies before being shot. However, Jenkins and Parker contested this narrative, alleging that instead of a straightforward drug operation, they were subjected to a two-hour torture session involving handcuffing, tasering, beating, and waterboarding, all accompanied by racial slurs.

Attorney Malik Shabazz highlighted the racially motivated nature of the assault, stating, “Everyone involved admitted to brutalizing Jenkins and Parker” (01:09), underscoring the severity of the abuse. These allegations prompted reporters Howey and Rosenfield to question whether this incident was an isolated event or indicative of a broader pattern of misconduct within the department.

Expanding the Investigation: Unearthing Systemic Abuse

As Howey and Rosenfield delved deeper, they connected with Andrea Murphy (known as Andy), a courageous informant who had previously encountered the same deputies accused of torturing Jenkins and Parker. Andy’s willingness to speak out despite personal risks was pivotal in uncovering a series of similar abuses dating back to 2018.

Andy recounted a traumatic incident from 2018 (09:04), where deputies, including those later implicated in the Jenkins and Parker case, raided her friend Rick Loveday’s trailer. Deputies subjected Rick to a violent assault, dragging him out of bed at gunpoint, smashing his possessions, and humiliating him physically and verbally. This was not an isolated experience; Mitch Hobson and Robert "Catfish" Grozier similarly reported brutal torture without any justifiable cause.

Andy’s consistent exposure to such violence, coupled with her ongoing struggles with methamphetamine addiction, painted a grim picture of the Sheriff's Department’s approach to law enforcement—one rooted in excessive force and racial animus rather than public safety.

Patterns of Abuse: The Goon Squad

A significant revelation came when it was discovered that the deputies involved in these atrocities branded themselves as the "Goon Squad." They even went as far as designing custom challenge coins emblazoned with cartoon mobsters, symbolizing their camaraderie and shared disregard for ethical policing standards. Despite their self-designation, Sheriff Bailey denied any knowledge of the Goon Squad, maintaining that these officers were rogue elements within his department.

Further evidence emerged through public records requests, revealing that deputies fired tasers 14 times over a 90-minute raid, far exceeding national guidelines. This blatant misuse of force was corroborated by medical records, booking photos, and eyewitness testimonies, solidifying the claims of systemic abuse (22:24).

Community Response: Outrage and Calls for Accountability

The revelations sparked immediate outrage within the Rankin County community. Protests erupted, with activists demanding Sheriff Bailey’s resignation and accountability for the deputies’ actions. The local NAACP chapter spearheaded petitions, garnering thousands of signatures despite initial setbacks and resistance from Bailey’s office.

State lawmakers responded by introducing new oversight laws, empowering the state to investigate and revoke certifications of officers involved in misconduct, regardless of criminal convictions. This legislative shift marked a significant step towards addressing entrenched corruption within law enforcement in a state historically resistant to police reforms.

Legal Outcomes: Guilty Pleas and Sentencing

In a landmark turn of events, six former law enforcement officers, members of the Goon Squad, were sentenced to a cumulative total of 139 years in federal prison for their roles in the torture of Jenkins and Parker. This unprecedented sentencing underscored the gravity of their crimes and served as a deterrent against future abuses. Malik Shabazz, representing Jenkins and Parker, poignantly remarked, “What is done in the dark will come to the light” (44:55).

Additionally, Jenkins and Parker pursued a $400 million civil lawsuit against Sheriff Bailey and the department. While Bailey sought qualified immunity, which was denied by a federal judge, the case remains ongoing, further highlighting the quest for justice and systemic accountability.

Sheriff Bailey's Response and Departmental Reforms

Despite mounting evidence and public pressure, Sheriff Brian Bailey remained defiant, insisting that the Goon Squad was composed of a few rogue officers rather than a department-wide issue. He championed minor reforms, including updating training policies and hiring internal affairs investigators, but these measures were widely viewed as insufficient by the community and activists demanding more substantial changes.

Bailey’s unopposed reelection underscored the complex dynamics of local politics and the entrenched loyalty within certain voter blocs. However, his attempts to distance himself from the widespread abuse failed to quell the growing discontent and demand for comprehensive reform.

Conclusion: Ongoing Struggle for Justice and Accountability

As of early 2024, the Department of Justice launched a second investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff's Department to assess whether unconstitutional practices were widespread. However, political changes and policy shifts, particularly with the onset of the Trump administration, have cast uncertainty over the progress and completion of these investigations.

The untimely death of Andrea Murphy in September 2024, a key informant and supporter of the investigation, marked a somber milestone in this ongoing saga. Her dedication and tragic demise symbolized the personal costs borne by those striving to expose and rectify systemic injustices.

Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield’s relentless reporting not only earned them recognition as Pulitzer finalists but also shone a light on the pervasive issues within Rankin County’s law enforcement. Their work continues to inspire ongoing efforts towards accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform in policing practices.

Notable Quotes

• Malik Shabazz on racial motivation: “Everyone involved admitted to brutalizing Jenkins and Parker” (01:09)
• Andrea Murphy on witnessing abuse: “When I saw them kicking me really good... the humiliation hurts” (11:14)
• Sheriff Bailey during confrontation: “I don't have a statement to make to you at this time” (47:12)
• Malik Shabazz on judicial denial: “Qualified immunity, which protects police from most judicial proceedings... a federal judge denied his requests” (44:48)
• Activist Angela Anguish on Bailey: “We are going to make sure that he is removed from office” (42:57)
• Malik Shabazz post-sentencing: “That which a man soweth, that shall he also reap. It has happened in this courthouse” (44:55)

Impact and Recognition

The investigative reporting by Howey and Rosenfield has had profound implications for police oversight and community trust in Rankin County. Highlighted as a 2024 Pulitzer finalist in local reporting, their meticulous documentation and unwavering pursuit of truth have set a benchmark for investigative journalism, demonstrating the essential role of the press in holding power to account and advocating for justice.

Acknowledgments

This episode was meticulously crafted by a dedicated team, including lead producers, editors, fact-checkers, and legal advisors, ensuring the highest standards of journalistic integrity and accuracy. Special thanks were extended to contributors from Mississippi Today, The New York Times, and Reveal’s own production staff for their invaluable support and insights.

Further Information

For more detailed reporting, listeners are encouraged to visit Mississippi Today and The New York Times to explore the comprehensive coverage by Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield.

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This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the episode for those who have not listened to it, capturing the essence of the investigative journey and its significant findings.

Transcript

[Al Letson]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.

[Brian Howey]

From the center for Investigative Reporting in prx, this is Reveal. I'm Al Edson. It's the middle of the night in January 2023 and sheriff's deputies surround the home of two Black men in Rankin County, Mississippi.

[Nate Rosenfield]

There's an investigation underway at this hour.

[Malik Shabazz]

After a deputy involved shooting in Rankin County.

[Brian Howey]

On paper at least according to the sheriff's department. It was supposed to be a drug bust. Investigators tell us during a narcotics investigation the suspect pointed a gun at the deputies before being shot. But questions started to emerge as Michael Jenkins, the man who was shot, and his friend Eddie Parker came forward with their side of the story.

[Andrea Murphy]

Attorneys say this was a racially motivated attack.

[Brian Howey]

According to attorney Malik Shabazz, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker were both subjected to a two hour torture session. Deputies handcuffed, tased, beat and waterboarded the men, all while hurling racial slurs.

[Nate Rosenfield]

One of the officers put a gun in Jenkins mouth for a mock execution and pulled the trigger.

[Brian Howey]

An injury is one thing, but being repeatedly tased and getting shot in the mouth while handcuffed. The torture allegations caught the attention of reporters Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield. They investigated this story for Mississippi Today and the New York Times. At this point nothing had been proven. But if the accusations were true, they wondered was this just a one off or was it part of a larger pattern of abuse in the department. Early into their reporting, Brian gets a call.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Hi Brian, this is Andrea Murphy. I understand that doing a piece on.

[Brian Howey]

Rank and county sheriff's department and it sounds promising.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I've been through three drug rape with Rankin county so I think, I think you want to talk to me for sure.

[Brian Howey]

Brian returned that call and it led us to our story today. Here's Brian.

[Rick Loveday]

We had been trying for weeks to get people to tell us about the sheriff's department. But a lot of folks who'd been arrested by these deputies seemed scared to talk. Not Andrea Detore. She goes by Andy and prefers her married last name Murphy, even though she's divorced. Don't ask.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I'm from Illinois, born and raised, prior military. I'm not a felon.

[Rick Loveday]

She says in the voicemail that she's had run ins with some of the same deputies who had just been accused of torturing Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker.

[Nate Rosenfield]

So I suggest maybe call me back as soon as possible while I'm in the mood to talk about this, if you will, and have the energy. Thanks, Brian.

[Rick Loveday]

Bye. Andy's voicemail came at the perfect time. My reporting partner Nate and I had just started working for Mississippi today, and we were still getting to know Rankin County. It's large, partly rural, but with some bustling areas like the city of Brandon. The main drag is lined with old brick buildings. Across the street we've got the old Rankin county news building. Restaurants. Good boy, Po boys. I got some good sandwiches over there. And right in the middle of the road, there's a tall gray monument. There's a Confederate flag carved into the monument just below the soldier. Across the street is the Rankin County Sheriff's Department. Brian Bailey is the sheriff first elected in 2011. And at the time, drug crime and violence were on the rise in Jackson, the state capital next door. Bailey ran on the promise of keeping communities like Brandon safe.

[Andrea Murphy]

The day's not going to come when somebody comes in rank county and commits a crime and thinks that they can race back to Jackson and that it's safe, that they're at home base or something like that. It's not going to happen. We're coming after them.

[Rick Loveday]

Jackson and Rankin county are right next to each other, but they can feel worlds apart. Jackson's population is about 3/4 black, while Rankin county is about 3/4 white. Since the 70s, Jackson has been shrinking because of white flight, crumbling infrastructure and declining investment. Over the years, this led to a sharp rise in violent crime and illegal drug sales. Over that same period, Rankin county has grown. It's attracted new businesses and many people who used to live in Jackson. A big part of the draw to Rankin county was the idea that it was a safe place to raise a family. And residents have reelected Bailey again and again to keep them safe.

[Andrea Murphy]

I see right and wrong, I see criminals and I see law abiding citizens. This is all about right and wrong, good and evil.

[Rick Loveday]

Bailey built up a reputation that he and his deputies were determined to get drugs off the street, sometimes in ways that grabbed headlines.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Sheriff Brian Bailey says his tongue in cheek.

[Al Letson]

Posts on Facebook says meth recently sold in the Metro might be contaminated with the Zika virus and his office would.

[Rick Loveday]

Test it for free. The post has been shared over 3,600 times.

[Andrea Murphy]

I thought, you know, hey, well, give this a shot. That'd be funny if I put this out there and somebody actually came and turned in their math. And of course, we hadn't had anybody do that yet.

[Rick Loveday]

Even though he had a bit of a theatrical approach, residents trusted Bailey to address illegal drug use in Rankin. So it was a shock to the county when Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins, the man who got shot in the mouth, accused sheriff deputies of abuse. Not here. Not under this sheriff's department. When I called back, Andy, the woman who left me that voicemail, she invited me to meet her in Florence. It's a small town in Rankin county, and we're at her friend's house where she used to live.

[Nate Rosenfield]

All right, so my room is up here.

[Rick Loveday]

It's also where Andy says she had multiple encounters with sheriff's deputies. This neighborhood came up often in our reporting. Our sources told us that deputies did a lot of drug raids here.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Brian. It's so surreal when it happens. I was just worried about next. You know, what they're gonna do next.

[Rick Loveday]

I met up with Andy multiple times over the following weeks. She can be a bit scattered. One moment she can be showing off the furniture she just dumpster dived, and the next, bragging about her five finger discount.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I'm always 100% enlistment, self checkout.

[Rick Loveday]

What happens at Self Checkout? Oh, Walmart.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Look, do not steal and put it on your person because there's no reasonable doubt. Right? Go through self checkout. Boom, boom, boom. Don't get greedy. Look confused when you're looking at that receipt walking out those doors now. And if you get stopped, I was wondering why this only costs this. What? I'm fallible.

[Rick Loveday]

Before she started shoplifting from Walmart, Andy grew up about an hour and a half outside of Chicago. Her dad ran a local bar, and before she set out on her own, she had an important decision to make.

[Nate Rosenfield]

My thing was like, either I'm gonna join the air Force or follow the dead. You know, when I was fixing to.

[Rick Loveday]

Graduate, you were deciding between being a deadhead and into the Air Force. That's a pretty big.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I know, right? I know.

[Rick Loveday]

Why did it come down to those?

[Nate Rosenfield]

Jerry died.

[Rick Loveday]

That's Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, for the uninitiated.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Isn't that crazy?

[Rick Loveday]

You were like, screw it.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I'm going to the. Got to go. In the Air Force. Yeah, man.

[Rick Loveday]

After her time in the Air Force, Andy would move around for a while, never staying anywhere for long. A few years, two kids, and a divorce later, Andy moved to Mississippi to help out a friend. That's where she began using meth. When I first met her in 2023, she was part of a community of drug users who lived around Rankin county, who knew what it was like to be on the other side of the sheriff's department.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Drug raids and I'm sorry about my language. Just don't around in Rankin County. It's just a given. Just don't do it. Don't do it. Don't bring drugs. Just when you're in Rankin County, I don't care what you're doing. Just be 10 10. Just abide by the law. And everybody knows that. And you know that because everybody gets, you know, beaten.

[Rick Loveday]

Andy tells me the Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker case wasn't a one off. She'd seen extreme violence from the sheriff's department years before. And a warning for listeners. What Andy saw and experienced includes heavy and violent details. One of the first incidents she witnessed was back in 2018. She and about a half dozen people were partying at her friend's trailer, a guy named Rick Loveday. Rick was a sheriff's deputy in nearby Hines county at the time. He didn't use drugs, but he let Andy and her friends come and hang out when they needed a place to stay that night. Andy and her friends are using drugs in the trailer when a guy she later learned was a confidential informant shows up. Right after the informant leaves, a group of deputies bursts into the trailer.

[Nate Rosenfield]

So I'm in the living room, we're at the front door, and when they come in, like I said, it was surreal. They were surprised to see me, and I was surprised to see them.

[Rick Loveday]

According to Andy, the deputies start searching the trailer. Two of those deputies were involved in the Jenkins shooting several years later.

[Nate Rosenfield]

So they had us on the ground, and I could just, you know, pivot my head left and right.

[Rick Loveday]

Andy watches from the living room floor as the deputies start in on Rick.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I remember Rick somewhat sitting up kinda and just shaking his head, but they did smash. They smashed my chocolate cake on him.

[Rick Loveday]

When we spoke to Rick, he told us that deputies dragged him out of bed at gunpoint, half naked, and threw him on his kitchen floor near Andy. They raided his cabinets and threw food everywhere, yelling at Rick, mocking him.

[Gary Curo]

So they start kicking me and stomping me. I lay over on my stomach. Get your head down. One of them stomps my head onto the floor. Well, that's tacky, but all right, whatever. I can't do nothing.

[Rick Loveday]

Rick is a big guy. He's in his 50s, bald, with a stubbled beard. He doesn't know why there are deputies in his trailer. But as a sheriff's deputy himself, Rick Knows better than to fight back, so they can't charge him with assaulting an officer.

[Gary Curo]

And he keeps hitting me. And I'm like, I'm on blood thinners. If he hits me hard enough and my brain bleeds, I could bleed into my brain and die. And so I said, hey, hey. And he stopped swinging. And I said, listen, I'm on blood thinners. And he said, I don't give a. And they were kicking me really good. They were kicking me so good that one of them missed and put his foot through my counter. So I'm looking in the living room at these people, and Andy's crying. She's looking at me crying, and I'm like, it's okay. You know, I fought my whole life. I'm not worried. Bruises heal, so it's no big deal. The humiliation hurts. So I'm listening, and I'm not. I'm not understanding what's going on, but I can hear and screaming and hollering coming from the back of the trailer, all right? I can hear someone getting his ass whooped.

[Rick Loveday]

A guy named Mitchell Hobson was also at the party. He goes by Mitch. And when we spoke to him, Mitch, like Rick, alleged that the Rankin County Sheriff's deputies assaulted him repeatedly that night, all while demanding that Mitch tell them where his drug stash was. Mitch says deputies kicked him in the stomach, tased him multiple times, choked him with a lamp cord and waterboarded him. Mitch denied having or selling drugs at the party. What Mitch, Rick and Andy were describing didn't just sound like excessive force. The humiliation, the degradation, the brutality. It sounded like torture. Andy says that after she witnessed this, she didn't know what to do. She did try telling her family about it.

[Nate Rosenfield]

When I went home, my family's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Andy. Yeah.

[Al Letson]

Mm.

[Nate Rosenfield]

You know, when I was telling them about Rankin' and then they didn't believe you? Oh, it's not that they didn't believe me. It's that I'm wild, you know? Like, I have five battery charges, like, two assaults back home. So they looked at it like.

[Al Letson]

Yeah.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Sure, it's everybody else's fault.

[Rick Loveday]

It's hard to imagine someone experiencing such extreme abuse from law enforcement once in their lifetime. But Andy tells me this was just the first incident she witnessed. Five years later, she saw another torture incident. This time, she was at her house with a man named Robert Grozier, who goes by Catfish. Catfish sold some drugs to someone who stopped by the house. And then boom, boom, boom.

[Nate Rosenfield]

You can see the flashlights. And I was Like, I was like this.

[Rick Loveday]

Look. I was like. One of the deputies who walked through the door had also been there that night at Rick Loveday's trailer. For years, Rankin county officers had been showing up at Andy's house over and over again looking to make a drug bust. When we spoke to Catfish about that night, he told us that deputies took him to a back room of Andy's house.

[Andrea Murphy]

They shoved a pistol down my throat. They shoved a pistol all the way down my throat and pushed. Pushed me to the floor.

[Rick Loveday]

Catfish says that's when they took out their Tasers.

[Andrea Murphy]

They had my legs pinned down. And he kept tasing me. He said, did you get tased here tonight? And I said, yeah, first. And he tased me again. I said, oh, whoa, whoa.

[Rick Loveday]

No, no, no, no.

[Andrea Murphy]

I tried to tell them what they.

[Rick Loveday]

Wanted to hear these details. The tasing, the gun in the mouth were similar to what Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker said happened to them on the night Jenkins was shot. They also lined up with what Andy told us about that night. Andy is upfront about who she is. She's clear with us about her own drug use and her criminal record, not to mention her sticky fingers at the Walmart self checkout line. But she says that what the deputies did wasn't about enforcing the law.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Everybody makes mistakes. I've made many. I have learned behaviors from the streets. I'm trying, whatever, whatever, whatever, but you just don't do things like that.

[Rick Loveday]

So she helps us connect with more and more people who say they've had their own experiences with the department, but eyewitness accounts won't be enough. So me and my reporting partner Nate start looking for more evidence.

[Brian Howey]

Up next, Brian and Nate expand their investigation.

[Andrea Murphy]

What do you mean you got some reporters going to call me?

[Brian Howey]

This is Reveal.

[Al Letson]

If you're listening to this show, you care about stories that investigate the truth and impact millions. I'm Danielle Elliott, and on climbing the Walls, I'm digging into the rise of ADHD diagnoses among women. I'm exploring what happens now that the world is finally starting to catch up with what women have been saying for decades. I don't know what happened, but the.

[Rick Loveday]

Algorithm heard the conversation and figured out, like, you're a black woman with adhd.

[Brian Howey]

We still get misdiagnosed with depression or.

[Nate Rosenfield]

They see depression, but they don't see the ADHD component to it or the comorbidity.

[Al Letson]

Join me as we explore why women have been left out of the ADHD.

[Rick Loveday]

Conversation for so long.

[Al Letson]

We're talking to mental health experts sharing real stories and uncovering the truths that you need to hear. To listen to Climbing the Walls Search for climbing the Walls in your favorite podcast app.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Coffee or tea?

[Al Letson]

What should I wear? Can I sleep for five more minutes? These are questions refugees dream of asking again one day. Instead, many of them will ask, will the bombs find us here? Will we ever see home again? How do I help my child cope with the horrors they've witnessed? Unhcr, the UN Refugee agency, is there to answer these questions and more by rushing them. Food, shelter and protection. You can help donate to UNHCR today. Go to unrefugees.org donation to make your gift. Hi, this is Marla from the human resources team at the center for Investigative Reporting. Subscriptions? Paywalls? Nope, not here. We believe that groundbreaking journalism should be accessible to everyone. If you can pitch in just a little, please donate today. Just text the word give to 88857 reveal. That's 888-577-3832 or visit revealnews.org donate no.

[Rick Loveday]

Gift is too small.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Thank you.

[Brian Howey]

From the center for Investigative Reporting and prx, this is Reveal. I'm Al Edson.

[Andrea Murphy]

You're watching Eyewitness News 16 on 16.

[Brian Howey]

Apt Jackson before Brian Bailey became the sheriff of Rankin county, he worked for a man named Lloyd Jones.

[Al Letson]

For 20 years, Sheriff Lloyd Jones ran Simpson County. Folks who put him in office say he ran a tight ship and governed with a force plan.

[Brian Howey]

Simpson county is next door to Rankin county in Mississippi, and for decades, starting in 1956, Lloyd Jones was an officer in this area, first as a state trooper and then as sheriff. He was a towering figure who cast a long shadow over the culture of policing in this area.

[Andrea Murphy]

He was strict and that's, I guess that's what made him a good sheriff. If you needed Lloyd Jones, you could call him. And as soon as he was aware that you needed him, he'd be there. He'd be there pronto.

[Brian Howey]

Lloyd Jones had a different reputation among civil rights leaders and black residents in Simpson county and a nickname, Lloyd Goon Jones. The term goon referred to Jones brutal approach to policing black communities and that went back decades.

[Malik Shabazz]

Jones was a commander in 1970 when.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Troopers and police were asked to respond to a possible riot at Jackson State.

[Brian Howey]

Jones and his officers were called to Jackson State College to respond to a student protest. Here's how he described the scene that day.

[Andrea Murphy]

There's a lot of hollering and cussing and rock throwing and bottle throwing going on. Anybody that said it wasn't A riot didn't know what they talking about.

[Brian Howey]

Officers shot hundreds of rounds into a dormitory filled with black student protesters, killing two people and wounding 12 others. Community leaders accused Jones of giving the order to fire.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Black leaders held Jones responsible.

[Rick Loveday]

He is the man, as keeps saying.

[Andrea Murphy]

Is always on the scene, and he's.

[Brian Howey]

The one who called us. In a separate incident, a local civil rights activist accused Jones and his officers of of shoving a fork up his nose and down his throat and beating him. In the Rankin county jail in the 90s, a former inmate shot and killed Jones at his home. A local news team spoke to deputies who worked for Jones about what he meant to them, including Brian Bailey.

[Andrea Murphy]

You could follow him anywhere. He worked seven days a week, 12 and 14 hours a day.

[Brian Howey]

It was Jones who gave Bailey his first job in law enforcement.

[Andrea Murphy]

And I wouldn't ask us to do anything that he wouldn't do himself. And it was an honor for me to work with him the short time that I did.

[Brian Howey]

I loved you like a father. Bailey wrote about Jones on a memorial page for the late sheriff. You were no doubt a part of who I am and what I am today. Decades after his mentor was accused of torturing a civil rights activist, Bailey's own deputies would be accused of similar abuse. The FBI Jackson field office, along with the Department of Justice, has opened a.

[Andrea Murphy]

Civil rights investigation into a Rankin county.

[Brian Howey]

Officer involved shooting that left one man shot in the mouth. A few months later, all of the officers involved in the shooting of Michael Jenkins and the arrest of Eddie Parker were fired and then charged with an array of civil rights violations. All of the deputies admitted to brutalizing Jenkins and Parker, and the court filings revealed an important detail. Some of the deputies involved had given themselves a nickname.

[Al Letson]

According to federal prosecutors, the defendants referred to themselves as the Goon Squad because of their willingness to use excessive force and not to report it.

[Brian Howey]

The Goon Squad. This select group of deputies even designed their own custom challenge coin with cartoon mobsters on one side and the Sheriff's department logo on the other. Brian Bailey, once an employee of Lloyd Goon, Jones, says he never heard of the group's nickname, the Goon Squad.

[Andrea Murphy]

I didn't realize that they called himself that until last week. Somebody I said, what are you talking about?

[Rick Loveday]

I've never heard that.

[Andrea Murphy]

Nobody's ever reported that to me.

[Brian Howey]

The DOJ investigation found what Jenkins and Parker said was true, but the scale of the abuse was still unknown. By now, Mississippi Today, reporters Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield were working with the New York Times, tracking down Similar cases for their investigation. But they needed to find out if there was more proof. Here's Nate.

[Malik Shabazz]

By the end of summer 2023, we knew that many of the details in the Jenkins and Parker case matched what other people had told us. The tasing, the beating, the humiliation. It was all starting to sound like a pattern. And at this point, we'd spoken to people like Andy Murphy, Rick Loveday, Mish Hobson, and Catfish. But was there any evidence that could support their claims? We requested records from the sheriff's department for the arrests we were looking into. We searched for medical records and any other kind of documentation that would help verify the accounts of the people we spoke to. One of those cases involved a man named Gary Curo. We met Gary through Andy, but at first he was hesitant to talk.

[Andrea Murphy]

She said, well, they doing a story. I don't give a f what they doing. What the you telling people to call me for? Telling me what you tell them to call me for?

[Malik Shabazz]

Gary had reason to be nervous. Many of the people we talked to were scared that deputies would retaliate against them if they came forward. But Andy was persistent and managed to talk Gary into it.

[Andrea Murphy]

And she probably gonna get off at me for some of the stuff I'm saying right now anyway. Oh, well, she wanted the goon squad to pay for what they did to her. And so she was kind of getting everybody, anybody she could to help get in on that for whatever needed to happen.

[Malik Shabazz]

Brian and I met Gary this February. Where are we headed?

[Andrea Murphy]

Just go all the way down Highway 80. I'll show you where you're going.

[Malik Shabazz]

Okay.

[Andrea Murphy]

Just go west on 80.

[Malik Shabazz]

Today, when you drive out of Jackson across the Pearl river, all you see is just a bunch of warehouses and marshes. But when Mississippi had prohibition laws as recently as the 1960s, this part of Rankin county was a hotspot for bars that served alcohol illegally.

[Andrea Murphy]

See all this? Right through here, all this was joints, all this. And most of them were nice clubs. Nicer clubs.

[Rick Loveday]

What kind of joints were they?

[Andrea Murphy]

Juke joints, like bars, stuff like that.

[Malik Shabazz]

It was called the Gold coast. And it's where Gary saw his father wheel and deal.

[Andrea Murphy]

He was a private entrepreneur. He ran slot machines, bootleg. I ain't talking about no moonshine liquor because it was stolen. They would steal it off freight trains. I didn't know it was outlaw stuff. I thought that's what everybody's daddy did.

[Malik Shabazz]

Gary wanted out of his father's line of business, so he joined the Air Force as a mechanic. Now that he's in his 70s, he has some trouble walking, in part because of a back injury he got in the military. After all these years, Gary says he still feels more comfortable around people who live on the other side of the law, like his dad.

[Andrea Murphy]

I've been around it all my life. But the thing about it straight people scare me more than outlaws because you know what outlaws gonna do.

[Malik Shabazz]

Gary tells us that ever since he was a kid, the police around here were corrupt. His dad would tell him how they took bribes and beat people who caused them trouble.

[Andrea Murphy]

Listen, Rankin county has always been notorious. They don't follow the laws of the land. They. They make their own laws. They'll whip you up, beat your, beats you. Nothing happens to them. It's like a rite of passage.

[Malik Shabazz]

Gary's own problems with the Rankin County Sheriff's Department began one night back in 2018, five years before the Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker case came to light. Gary was at a neighbor's house, a guy named Jerry Manning. Most people around here call him Red Dog. And he was known in the neighborhood for dealing drugs. Gary says he was hanging out with a group of people in Red Dog's bedroom when he noticed something.

[Andrea Murphy]

I had just put a surveillance system in for him. And anyway, I looked up at the monitor and I kept seeing reflectors and it's carved, but there was no lights on. I kept looking at it and all of a sudden the doors open. Here they come rush in the house and then kicked the butt to the door. And I said, red Dog. Red Dog. I said, cop. Cops are here. Cops. And everybody in there just froze.

[Malik Shabazz]

Gary's account followed the same pattern of so many others. We spoke to officers, beat him and the people there that night.

[Andrea Murphy]

I don't know if he kicked me or pushed me up and knocked me down on the floor and then he handcuffed, you know, my hands behind my back.

[Malik Shabazz]

Then they tased him repeatedly, man.

[Andrea Murphy]

They tased me for probably two hours.

[Malik Shabazz]

And they humiliated him.

[Andrea Murphy]

One of the cops told me, what's wrong with you, old man? How come you can't walk? What's wrong with you? You want to dope your up? No, man, I said, I was in the military. I was in a helicopter crash and I had just had surgery on my back. They told me that you a disgrace to veterans. You don't deserve even be call yourself really. And I was not a disgrace in the military. I was decorated special operator in the Air Force. When I told him that about my back. Where is it at? Where does it hurt? I said, well, I'm gonna lower back. And that's when he put his paratrooper boots he was wearing, and he would put them on my scar and grab back of my hair and just pull me back like this.

[Malik Shabazz]

We wanted to know if there was any evidence supporting what we'd heard from Gary. So the first thing we did was file a public records request with the department for the official incident report. The report of that night showed officers were there for a planned drug bust. It says the deputies entered the apartment, found drugs out in the open, and made quick arrests soon after. There was no mention of any of the violence Gary told us about. But Gary's case, like many of the ones we'd heard about, centered around deputies using their Tasers. The thing is, you can prove when a Taser is used whether a deputy reports it or not. Police Tasers record each time they're fired in a digital log that stores the date, time, and duration of each use. So we filed another public records request for those logs. And when they came back, they showed us that during the drug raid, which involved multiple arrests, three deputies fired tasers a total of 14 times over the span of 90 minutes. Law enforcement experts told us they couldn't think of a justifiable reason why the deputies would need to fire their Tasers for that long, even with multiple people present. Generally speaking, police officers are supposed to justify every Taser use. But none of those deputies reported using their Tasers at all. We spoke to other people who were there that night, including Red Dog. He told us deputies Tased him, beat him, and choked him.

[Andrea Murphy]

They put a chair in the kitchen.

[Brian Howey]

Drove me to the kitchen, put a.

[Andrea Murphy]

Belt around my neck, and the officer stood on the chair and pulled me up and just choked the mess out of me. I thought I was going to die.

[Malik Shabazz]

During his torture, he said the deputies drew something on his forehead.

[Brian Howey]

They drew a Nazi sign on my head.

[Andrea Murphy]

Then he found a torch.

[Malik Shabazz]

Red Dog says officers also used a blowtorch to melt metal onto his skin. We asked the department for the photo they took of Red Dog when he was being booked into the jail. In the picture, you can see the faint outline of a swastika on his forehead. Red Dog also shared with us a photo of the burn on his leg from the hot metal. We used these kinds of documents, Taser logs, pictures of injuries, medical records, booking photos, to help confirm multiple other cases of abuse, including many of the ones that Andy Murphy first brought to us. We spoke to more than 50 people who told us they had witnessed or experienced brutality from Rankin county sheriff's deputies during drug raids. And we found supporting evidence for 17 cases involving 22 of those people. At this point in the summer of 2023, the only abuse that had been widely reported to the public was the Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker case, where all the deputies involved pleaded guilty to federal charges. But Brian and I were piecing together a far more widespread pattern of abuse with allegations going back two decades.

[Nate Rosenfield]

This was the 2004 goon squad.

[Rick Loveday]

What I can remember being, this is.

[Brian Howey]

Over a decade ago.

[Andrea Murphy]

It was 2019, sir. Well, I know the date that they.

[Rick Loveday]

Come in my house.

[Andrea Murphy]

February 20, 2020.

[Malik Shabazz]

During police raids, deputies routinely tased, beat, and humiliated people they suspected of using or selling drugs.

[Nate Rosenfield]

He shot.

[Andrea Murphy]

Shot me in between the legs with this taser. They tased me like 30, 30 times or 40 times.

[Rick Loveday]

He said, I'm fixing to go back.

[Brian Howey]

Here and kill your partner. I'll be right back to kill you. That's when I heard a gunshot, and I thought, they shot him.

[Andrea Murphy]

They beat me bad, man. I'll never forget that, man. I'm so racial. They beat me. They put a gun in my mouth, dude. I thought, that man won't kill me.

[Malik Shabazz]

Rankin county is largely white, and so were most of the victims we spoke to. But in the cases where the victim was black, everyone told us deputies used racist language.

[Andrea Murphy]

When he put his knees in my chest, his exact words was, I hate you that come in Reich and county.

[Rick Loveday]

That just try to sell drugs.

[Andrea Murphy]

He was like, if I could kill you and get away with it, I'll do it.

[Malik Shabazz]

This cycle of violence had gone under the radar for years. Years. But not for a lack of trying. Many of the people we spoke to said they complained to the department, even reached out directly to Sheriff Bailey to report what happened to them. Rick Loveday, the deputy in Hinds county we spoke to, who said he had been beaten in his trailer by the Goon squad, told us he was able to get Bailey on the phone.

[Gary Curo]

So I call. I'm mad. I'm really mad at what's happened. I got their sheriff on the phone with me for maybe two minutes, and I said, sarah, I want to let you know what happened to me. Oh, I know who you are. You're that drug dealer out there and such and such. No, Sarah, I'm not. You've probably got this line bugged. No, I don't have this line bugged. I just want you to know. And he hangs up on me.

[Malik Shabazz]

Five other people say they filed suddenly similar complaints directly to the department. There were also Four lawsuits that alleged brutality by deputies, all filed before the Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker case in 2023. But remember when news first broke out about the Goon Squad, the sheriff denied knowing anything about it.

[Andrea Murphy]

I'm shocked. I'm shocked. I cannot believe one team of Leah would try treat another human being the way they did. Again, this is the same thing as.

[Rick Loveday]

If you found out a family member.

[Andrea Murphy]

Or a close friend had committed one of these crimes. I'm shocked by it. This cannot be real.

[Malik Shabazz]

But it was real. It's just that most of the people who said they'd been abused had been written off for years. Many didn't have the resources to hire a lawyer and fight the department in court. Some struggled with drug addiction and were easy to discredit as criminals trying to get out of a prison sentence. It may have been a shock to some, but for many of the people we spoke to, the abuses of the Goon Squad were just a daily reality in Rankin County. People like Andy, the woman who helped connect us with so many others who'd been targeted by the department.

[Nate Rosenfield]

It's just so common what Rankin county does that it's just like, well, we went over ranking county. We around, we got our ass handed to us. We know better. That's the mindset that people have like don't around in Rankin' Yeah, around in Rankin' this is what's gonna happen. So we all just kind of take our, take our lumps if you will, you know.

[Malik Shabazz]

Andy had struggled to get anyone to believe her about what was going on in Rankin county. And that was just a fraction of what she was up against. When we first met Andy, she told us that she had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and it was only getting worse. It wasn't clear how much longer she'd be around, but in true Andy fashion, she faced it head on.

[Nate Rosenfield]

You're not allowed to interfere with destiny. I have never been this kooky person, I promise you. And it's not because I have time on my hands. I promise it's not because I'm facing my mortality. Personally, I'm good with dying. Our destiny is our destiny.

[Brian Howey]

Up next, Brian and Nate try talking to Sheriff Bailey.

[Rick Loveday]

Hey, Sheriff Bailey, it's Brian Howey calling back.

[Brian Howey]

That's next on Reveal.

[Al Letson]

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[Brian Howey]

Learn [e-mail] from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Edson, new at 10 the.

[Al Letson]

Calls for the resignation of Franklin County Sheriff Brian Bailey growing louder community activist.

[Brian Howey]

After five of his deputies pleaded guilty to federal charges resulting from their torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, the public pressure on Sheriff Bailey and his department was mounting.

[Andrea Murphy]

Activists have been demanding this for months now. These calls started after former Rankin county law enforcement officers admitted to physically and sexually assaulting two African American men earlier this year.

[Brian Howey]

Again, Bailey has denied knowing anything about his deputy's misconduct and and he's spoken publicly about the Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker case just a few times. Like this press conference in August of 2023, right after his officers pleaded guilty. Sheriff, there have been calls for your arrest Nation.

[Rick Loveday]

What is your response to that?

[Andrea Murphy]

You know, my only thing I'm guilty of on this that you're out here is trust grown men that swore an.

[Rick Loveday]

Oath to do me a job crib. I'm guilty of that.

[Andrea Murphy]

But the people at Raymond county elected me to do a job during good.

[Rick Loveday]

Times, during bad times. Yeah, this is a bad time.

[Andrea Murphy]

But I'M going to stay here. I'm not resigning.

[Rick Loveday]

I'm going to fix these problems.

[Brian Howey]

And he didn't resign. Instead, he ran for reelection unopposed and won. A few weeks after Bailey's reelection, our reporting partners Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield published their investigation of the Rankin County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi Today and the New York Times. Their findings showed that Jenkins and Parker weren't alone. More than 20 people had come forward with similar allegations of violence and torture going back two decades. And it involved far more deputies than the handful who were charged. Here's Nate with the fallout.

[Malik Shabazz]

The reaction to our reporting was immediate from Rankin county residents and the feds. The same day we published our story, we heard from some of our sources that FBI agents had flown into town to talk to some of the same people we interviewed. And more and more community members were starting to voice their outrage against the Sheriff's Department.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I am a normal, ordinary person living in Rankin County. I go to the grocery store, I go to the restaurants, the bars. I walk my dog in the park. I had no flippin idea what was going on in Rankin County.

[Malik Shabazz]

For weeks, one man stood outside the Sheriff's Department holding protest signs, including one that read Brian Topgoon, Bailey must go. And the local chapter of the NAACP had already filed a petition to to formally remove Bailey from office. Here's the chapter president, Angela Anguish.

[Andrea Murphy]

We have a person who is running the jailhouse that does not know what he is doing, does not care what he is doing, and has no regard for people's human or civil rights. And we are going to make sure that he is removed from office.

[Malik Shabazz]

The petition was ultimately unsuccessful, but English said it gathered about 12,000 signatures and they're trying again, at least publicly. Local and state lawmakers kept quiet about whether Bailey should step down. But the state representative from Rankin county did propose a new law on police oversight after the revelations about the Goose Squad, and it passed. It allows the state to investigate officers for misconduct and revoke their certification even if they weren't convicted of a crime. It's a big change for a state that isn't typically known for passing police reforms. And then in the spring of 2024.

[Brian Howey]

Judgment day for the goon squad, five.

[Andrea Murphy]

Disgraced former Rankin county deputies and an.

[Brian Howey]

Ex Richland police officer.

[Malik Shabazz]

Something happened that rarely happens in Mississippi or really the rest of the country when it comes to law enforcement.

[Brian Howey]

In Mississippi, six former law enforcement officers.

[Rick Loveday]

Called the Goon Squad have received prison.

[Brian Howey]

Terms that add up to more than.

[Malik Shabazz]

130 years from the Feds the significance of a sentence that this long wasn't lost on the legal team representing both Jenkins and Parker.

[Brian Howey]

139 years total for all six defendants. That's strong.

[Malik Shabazz]

After the sentencing, Malik Shabazz, one of the lawyers representing the men, addressed the local media.

[Brian Howey]

That which a man soweth, that shall he also reap. It has happened in this courthouse.

[Andrea Murphy]

It says said.

[Brian Howey]

What is done in the dark will come to the light.

[Malik Shabazz]

Jenkins and Parker sued Bailey and the sheriff's department in a $400 million civil lawsuit. Bailey filed for qualified immunity, which protects police from most judicial proceedings. But a federal judge denied his requests. The case is still ongoing. Sheriff Bailey still insists that the goon squad was just a handful of rogue officers. And he says his department is working to earn back the trust of the community.

[Andrea Murphy]

Rankin County Sheriff Brian Bailey says his office has updated its training policies after former officers pled guilty to torturing two men in January. They have hired an internal affairs investigator.

[Nate Rosenfield]

From outside the department and would expand.

[Andrea Murphy]

The compliance division to include additional internal affairs investigators.

[Malik Shabazz]

My reporting partner, Brian and I have always wanted to get Bailey on the record about the allegations we uncovered. We tried a couple of times to set up interviews with him, but the department's attorney wouldn't allow it. So when Brian got a hold of Bailey's phone number, he had to give it a try.

[Rick Loveday]

Hey, Sheriff Bailey, it's Brian Howey calling back. I just wanted to circle back with you because, you know, we. We have some really serious allegations against multiple deputies at your department. I mean, you know, we. We found these, you know, a handful of lawsuits against the department making these allegations. We've found taser logs that show your deputies were activating their Tasers multiple times, oftentimes far past the limits of national guidelines on how many times they should be using them. I mean, this seems to be something that was fairly widespread among some of the top ranking deputies at your department. It's.

[Malik Shabazz]

I guess it leaves the question.

[Andrea Murphy]

Yeah, I have 240 employees. There's no way I can be with them each and every day. And I'm gonna work it on accountability. Actually, I don't have a statement to make to you at this time.

[Rick Loveday]

It's. It just begs the question of how it's possible you didn't know that this was going on at the department. And again, I have no comment that you need. Okay. All right, Sheriff Bailey, well, thank you so much for your time. If you change your mind, please let me know.

[Andrea Murphy]

Yes, sir.

[Rick Loveday]

Thanks. Bailey referred us to the department's legal counsel, who declined to comment. And Bailey hasn't talked to us since that call. As we kept investigating, I stayed in touch with Andy Murphy. Soon after the deputies entered federal prison, Andy checked herself into the hospital. She'd been fighting stage four breast cancer for years. At this point, Andy had spent months helping us connect to people she knew from Rankin County. By then, we had spent a lot of time together. Andy, I bring gifts. I bring gifts for you. What was it that day? I brought her a can of Coke and a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream.

[Andrea Murphy]

Why?

[Rick Loveday]

He looks so disappointed to see me.

[Nate Rosenfield]

I'm not disappointed to see you. So, for, like, thank you. For, like, 30 seconds, I'm gonna just. I have to listen to, like, some kind of music just to chill out for a second.

[Rick Loveday]

Okay.

[Al Letson]

Okay.

[Nate Rosenfield]

That's okay. Thank you.

[Rick Loveday]

What is.

[Nate Rosenfield]

What kind of music you like? You like 311?

[Rick Loveday]

Do I like 311?

[Nate Rosenfield]

Yeah.

[Andrea Murphy]

Daring.

[Rick Loveday]

For the record, I do not like 311. So, thankfully, Andy plays another song to reset. Ice Cube Baby 99 Baby 99 Baby Long Time Baby By June of 2024, Andy's health had taken a turn for the worse. Her cancer had spread, her legs had stopped working, and she was stuck in a hospital bed in Jackson. She knew that most of the deputies whose abuses we reported on hadn't been held accountable. Some even still work in law enforcement today. So for Andy, the guilty pleas, the sentencing, the added pressure on Bailey to resign, all of that wasn't enough. Do you feel satisfied with what you've done?

[Nate Rosenfield]

Um, not yet. I need those people that harmed people just like the other ones did, to. To be accountable. Absolutely. I just can't wrap my mind around certain, you know, like, do the right thing. I think that's what's wrong. Like, fancy my mortality. I feel like Rankin county, they want to say, like, we all have our moral compasses. I was a junkie. Excuse my language. There's certain things I'm not gonna do, certain things I would do, but be accountable, be responsible. You know, what the is right and what's wrong.

[Rick Loveday]

In late July, Andy sent me a message on Facebook asking when I was coming to see her again. She said she was proud of our reporting. I was out of town, but I told Andy I'd be back soon to see her.

[Malik Shabazz]

Hey, man.

[Nate Rosenfield]

Hey.

[Rick Loveday]

Good morning. A couple weeks later, I called Nate with some news. Gary texted me in very Gary fashion, and then. But then sent pictures of him and Andy together. And I was like, oh, God. I had just spoken to Gary Curo who told me that Andy was gone. She was 50 years old.

[Malik Shabazz]

Andy was a really special person.

[Gary Curo]

Yeah.

[Rick Loveday]

She was. She was really complicated person who. Who really just wanted to. I think she wanted more than anything to do something good. I don't know. I don't know where. Where we would have ended up without her.

[Andrea Murphy]

Yeah.

[Rick Loveday]

A couple weeks later, in September 2024, the Department of Justice announced that they were launching a second investigation. Now that the criminal case against the officers who tortured Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker was closed. They wanted to look at whether the whole department had engaged in a pattern of constitutional violations. That new investigation could force the department to reform its policies and practices and even lead to new criminal charges. But now it's unclear if they'll ever finish. After Donald Trump took office this January, his administration froze all new and ongoing civil rights investigations into police departments across the country. All of our recent requests for comment to the DOJ have gone unanswered. But Nate and I and the team from Mississippi Today are still reporting on how this abuse was allowed to go on for so long.

[Brian Howey]

Brian and Nate's reporting on the Rankin County Sheriff's Department was recognized as a 2024 Pulitzer finalist in local reporting. You can read more of their work at Mississippi Today and the New York Times. Our lead producer for this week's show is Najiba. Jenny Costas edited the show with support from Kate Howard. Editorial and reporting guidance from Adam Ganechow, Chris Davis, Dean Bequet and Debbie Skipper. They worked with Brian and Nate on this story from the beginning with Mississippi Today and the New York Times. Special thanks to Alyssa Daly and Jerry Mitchell who also contributed reporting to this episode. Special thanks also to Reveal's associate producer, Stephen Rascone. Sophie Horowitz and Ruth Marai are our fact checkers. Legal review by Victoria Baranetsky. Our production manager is Ulema Cobb. Score and sound design by the dynamic duo Jay Breezy, Mr. Jim Briggs and Fernando My Man Yo Arruda. Our interim executive producers are Taki Telenides and Bret Myers. Our theme music is by Camerado Lightning. Support for reveals provided by the Riva and David Logan foundation, the John D. D and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, the park foundation, the Schmidt Family foundation and the Hellman Foundation. Support for Reveal is also provided by you, our listeners. We are a co production of the center for Investigative Reporting and prx. I'm Al Letson and remember, there is always more to the story.

[Malik Shabazz]

From prx.