On Friday, the Memphis Police Department announced the termination of five officers involved in the arrest of Tyre Nichols, who passed away three days after a traffic encounter earlier this month.
The five officers were fired after an “internal investigation” found that they “violated multiple department policies, including excessive force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid,” Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said in a statement.
The department said that the five officers were named Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. Nichols, who is black and 29 years old, was arrested on January 7 after police stopped him for driving too fast, police said.
As the officers approached the driver, there was a fight, and the driver ran away. When the officers caught up with him again, they arrested him. He said he couldn’t get enough air, so he was taken to the hospital. Officials said that the reason for the death has not been found yet.
Do you know that a man wanted for beating a 4-year-old Oklahoma boy to death on Christmas Day has been sent there to face charges? The Caddo County Sheriff’s Office said on its website that 36-year-old Ivon Adams III was booked into the county jail Thursday night. Adams was arrested last week in Arizona and has been charged with homicide as well as…
Nichols died on January 10, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is the state’s police agency. The agency is looking into the use of force because Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy asked them to.
A Memphis Police public information officer said that all of the five officers who were fired were Black. On Wednesday, the federal government said it would look into how Memphis police officers treated people’s civil rights.
The Memphis Police Department has terminated five police officers that arrested and brutally beat Tyre Nichols, who died days later
The police body camera footage will be released next week https://t.co/OgX630y9cD pic.twitter.com/YsJyyO08sl
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 21, 2023
Relatives say that the officers who stopped Nichols were in an unmarked car and that he had a heart attack and lost kidney function because he was beaten by the officers.
Davis and Mayor Jim Strickland said Tuesday that the family will be able to watch the video of the arrest once the police department’s investigation is done.
After refusing to say anything about the Justice Department’s investigation at first, Memphis sent out a statement late Wednesday afternoon saying it will work with the federal agencies doing the investigation.
At a memorial service for Nichols on Tuesday, his family and friends talked about how he was a happy, kind man who made boxes at FedEx, liked to skateboard, and often went to Starbucks to drink coffee and talk with friends. Some of the people there wore T-shirts that said “Skate in Peace” and “Justice for Tyre.”
Relatives said that Nichols was from California and had moved to Memphis about a year ago. His family said he had two brothers and a sister.
During the service, Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, said that Nichols’ supporters want the officers who arrested him to be charged with first-degree murder.
Wells said, “We’re not going down without a fight.”
Final Lines
After their involvement in the arrest of Tyre Nichols, five Memphis police officers have been fired. On January 7, Nichols was arrested after police stopped him for driving recklessly.
Officials later said that as officers approached him, a fight broke out, and Nichols ran away from the scene. They have also said that Nichols and the officers who came to help him had another “confrontation” before he was finally caught and arrested.
Nichols’ stepfather was told by police that his stepson had a heart attack and lost his kidneys because he was beaten… Fill out the comment form below and tell us what you think.