JACKSON, Miss. — A law enforcement officer in Mississippi is facing serious allegations of using excessive force against an individual he arrested earlier this year. The charges stem from an incident where Deputy Adrian Durr, 43, with the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department, reportedly struck the suspect with a Taser and kicked him in the head while the man was handcuffed to a bench. This federal indictment was revealed on Thursday.
Durr has been charged with the deprivation of civil rights under color of law, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Upon his initial court appearance in Jackson on Thursday, he pleaded not guilty, according to his attorney, Michael Cory. Cory stated that there is more context to the situation that will come to light as the case unfolds.
The trial for Durr, who continues to work with the sheriff’s department, is scheduled to take place on December 2. According to Cory, both Deputy Durr and the alleged victim, identified in the indictment by the initials D.J., are Black.
The indictment details that the alleged incident occurred on February 18. Surveillance footage from a jail booking area indicated that Durr and D.J. were involved in a disagreement following D.J.’s misdemeanor arrest. At the time, D.J. was reportedly in ankle shackles and attempted to stand while being secured to a fixed bench when the alleged assault took place.
Robert A. Eikhoff, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jackson office, emphasized the importance of maintaining trust in law enforcement, stating, “Our citizens deserve credible law enforcement to safeguard the community from crime. The actions of Mr. Durr significantly deprived the citizens of that protection and eroded the trust earned each day by honest law enforcement officers throughout the nation.”
Simpson County, with a population of approximately 25,600, is situated about 40 miles southeast of Jackson, the state capital. In a related context, nearby Rankin County has recently faced scrutiny over law enforcement practices. In 2023, six officers—including five former deputies and a former police officer—admitted to charges related to the torture of two Black men and received sentences earlier this year.
Last month, the Justice Department announced it is examining whether the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department has been involved in a pattern of excessive force and unlawful practices concerning stops, searches, and arrests, particularly those that may involve racial discrimination. Additionally, a recent report from the department criticized the police in Lexington, a largely Black community about 60 miles north of Jackson, for their discriminatory practices, excessive use of force, and retaliatory actions against those who speak out against them.