Five former Memphis, Tennessee police officers have been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, according to Insider
Nichols died in the hospital after he was beaten by officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith have all been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression.
All five officers were fired from the Memphis Police Department last week following an investigation into Nichols’ death.
On Monday, the family and their attorneys were allowed to view body cam footage of Nichols’ arrest.
Attorney Antonio Romanucci said Nichols was “defenseless the entire time” while the five police officers beat him.
“He was a human piñata,” Romanucci said. “It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes.”
The family’s lawyers say an autopsy commissioned by the Nichols family shows he “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating, and that his observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on January 7, 2023.”
Police say two “confrontations” occurred that resulted in Nichols requiring hospitalization after complaining of shortness of breath. The first happened as officers approached the vehicle and he attempted to flee on foot. The second confrontation happened when officers tried to arrest him.
Police body can footage of the attack will be released this week and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis is already urging people to stay calm, according to the Independent .
Davis called the officers’ actions “heinous, reckless, and inhumane,” and that they displayed a “failing of basic humanity towards another individual.”
“I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, demand action and results,” she said. “But, we need to ensure our community is safe in this process.”
[Image: Adrian Sainz/AP Photo]
