A Mississippi Police Department is under fire today (July 22) after news about its chief was shared with the public. Mississippi has a long history of discrimination and racism within America’s history, and its police departments have well-documented corruption, especially during the Civil Rights movement. The small city of Lexington gained national attention this week after leaked audio of the town’s Police Chief Sam Dobbins went viral, showing a conversation where he bragged about killing Black people.
According to USA Today, Dobbins has been fired from his position, but activists are calling for a new look at cases handed within his department.
The leaked conversation reportedly took place back in April with officer Robert Lee Hooker, who recorded the chat in secret. Hooker then sent the recording to a human rights organization which turned over the tape to the media. Dobbins can reportedly be heard boasting about abusing criminals and if they “got out of line,” he would throw them through a window. Throughout the conversation, Dobbins also reportedly used “racist and homophobic” language while speaking about the number of people he’s injured or killed while on the job.
“I shot that n*gger 119 times, OK?” the man identified as Dobbins said on the recording. He was also alleged to have talked about why it is sometimes necessary to shoot criminals, adding that he’s shot at least 13 people.
Meanwhile, Dobbins denies the allegations against him, reportedly noting that he doesn’t “talk like that” and wouldn’t discuss those subjects. Hooker was hired to the department this year but was said to have resigned from his position after a verbal altercation with Dobbins. Authorities are trying to save face, stating that the Lexington Police Department has a zero-tolerance rule for racism, but community members aren’t convinced.
Listen to the audio both above and below.