Rankin County Deputy Faces New Charges After Racist Attack Conviction

A for­mer Rankin Coun­ty deputy, Brett Mor­ris McAlpin, is fac­ing fresh accu­sa­tions of bru­tal­i­ty. McAlpin, who was pre­vi­ous­ly con­vict­ed for a racial­ly moti­vat­ed attack on two Black men, has been named in a fed­er­al law­suit alleg­ing he beat an inmate at the coun­ty jail.

The law­suit, filed by Christo­pher Mack, details a vio­lent encounter in May 2021. Mack alleges McAlpin and eight oth­er offi­cers beat him for near­ly an hour fol­low­ing his arrest. The attack result­ed in bro­ken ribs, a bro­ken nose, and severe psy­cho­log­i­cal trauma.

This inci­dent rais­es seri­ous con­cerns about a pat­tern of exces­sive force with­in the Rankin Coun­ty Sher­if­f’s Depart­ment. McAlpin was part of a noto­ri­ous group of offi­cers dubbed the “Goon Squad,” who were con­vict­ed of tor­tur­ing and abus­ing two Black men in a sep­a­rate incident.

Mack­’s attor­ney empha­sizes this law­suit expos­es a sys­temic issue. The ongo­ing pat­tern of vio­lence against vul­ner­a­ble com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers neces­si­tates account­abil­i­ty and reform with­in the department.