Former officers to stand trial in Tyre Nichols death case

Memphis, Tennessee. (AP) — Five former Memphis cops were scheduled to appear in court Friday on murder and other charges in the forcible arrest and death of Tyre Nichols.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and their attorneys were expected to appear before a judge in Shelby County Criminal Court. The officers were fired following an internal Memphis Police Department investigation into the January 7 arrest of Nichols, who died in hospital three days later.

In addition to second-degree murder, the officers were also charged with aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, misconduct and official harassment. They are all connected.

Nichols’ death is the latest police killing, sparking nationwide protests and heated public debate about police brutality. Nichols, 29, was black. All five officers charged with his death are also black.

Nichols was pulled over for an alleged traffic violation and pulled out of his car by officers who used profanity, at least one of them brandishing a gun, records showed. The officer tasered Nichols, but Nichols ran to his nearest home, according to a video released by the city.

Officers who were part of a crime-fighting group known as the Scorpion Unit caught up with Nichols and beat him with fists, kicks, and clubs as he called for his mother.

The video showed that after the beating, the policemen stood nearby and talked to each other while Nichols struggled with his injuries on the ground. According to the video and recordings, one of the officers took a picture of Nichols as he was leaning against an unmarked police car.

Authorities said Nichols was taken to the hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after paramedics arrived.

Police said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving, but no confirmed evidence of a traffic violation has surfaced in publicly available documents or video images. Memphis Police Director Serelyn “CJ” Davis said she saw no evidence to justify the stop or officers’ reaction. She disbanded the Scorpion division she created in November 2021 after Nichols’ death.

The story goes on

Another white officer involved in the initial traffic stop was fired. Another unidentified staff member was removed from his post.

Three Memphis firefighters who were present at the scene of detention were also fired. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who were also there were suspended without pay for violations, including not keeping their body cameras on.

The Nichols family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes to the police department on issues related to traffic stop, use of force, transparency and other policies.

Some relatives and lawyers praised Davis and the department for their prompt response and said it should become the standard for other police brutality investigations.

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