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.

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

Attorneys Trent Walker and Malik Shabazz, with Black Lawyers for Justice, spoke to reporters on Monday in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights investigation. They said they are pleased with this first step that they said is necessary to hold the department accountable.

The Justice Department will determine if allegations of widespread violence and improper searches amount to a pattern of discrimination in the department.

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.

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a Mississippi sheriff’s department whose officers tortured two Black men in a racist attack that included beatings, repeated use of

The DOJ has received information about other troubling incidents, including deputies overusing stun guns and entering homes unlawfully.