RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Attorneys, activists and family members of two Rankin County men, who were allegedly abused by deputies, leveled new accusations against the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Bryan Bailey said all of the deputies involved in the alleged abuse of Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins on January 24 were fired on Friday, June 23. Their families argued that the firings were too little, too late.

Attorneys accused the former deputies of having a history of using excessive force, and they’re disappointed the sheriff did not release their names when he announced their terminations.

The attorneys said the firings are a step in the right direction, but they’re not enough to reform the department. They called for the deputies to be criminally charged and for Bailey to resign. They said the January 24 case and several others, including the 2021 death of Damien Cameron, happened under his watch.

“It’s not enough to fire those deputies because all they’ll do is go to another police department and get on and do the same thing. I want them prosecuted, and I don’t want them to be able to work in any authority or any department in the state of Mississippi,” said Mary Jenkins, the mother of Michael Jenkins.

“Bryan Bailey’s failure to train them, failure to supervise them and failure to hold these deputies accountable are the proximate cause of the injuries and the damages sustained by Michael Jenkins, Eddie Parker and Damien Cameron,” said Attorney Malik Shabazz.

Bailey said a full-time compliance officer was hired, but attorneys said that’s an indication that the department may already have some compliance issues.

Attorneys said they received more complaints about the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office use of force, and they’re reviewing those potential cases.