The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a Mississippi sheriff’s department whose officers tortured two Black men.

The Rankin County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi is notorious for its "Goon Squad," which beat and tortured two men.

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

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.

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.