Memphis police on Friday identified and fired five officers involved in the Jan. 7 arrest and subsequent death of Tire Nichols, a black driver.
“After a thorough assessment of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we determined that five (5) MPD officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, the duty to intervene and the duty to provide assistance a police statement said. said. “Every officer charged was fired from the Memphis Police Department.”
Until Friday evening’s announcement, the police had not much said about the circumstances leading to Nichols’ death, aside from vague references to a “showdown” with police after a routine traffic stop for allegedly reckless driving. The department has not released any body camera images, although it plans to do so next week.
Officials have not released a cause of death, but Nichols’ family said he suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure. Nichols’ family reviewed the body cam footage Friday, according to Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, who reviewed the footage with the family.
Police identified the officers as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. The officers are all black men and had been with the department for at least two years. Mills was the longest serving officer involved in the arrest; he was hired in 2017.
No charges have yet been filed against the officers.
Nichols was a former FedEx employee who loved skateboarding in Memphis. Last weekend, local activists released a photo of Nichols lying on a hospital bed with a swollen eye and facial injuries, sparking outrage in the community.
The family staged protests during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day-weekend in front of the city police station.
This is an evolving story. Check back later for updates.
