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.

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

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

Former officers say they were never contacted by the DOJ despite speaking publicly about their experiences of discrimination and harassment with KCPD more than two years ago.