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 review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we have determined that five (5) MPD officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene and duty to render assistance,” a department statement by the police. . She said. “Every officer charged has been cleared by the Memphis Police Department.”
Until Friday night’s announcement, the police department had he didn’t say much about the circumstances leading to Nichols’ death, plus vague references to a “confrontation” with police following a routine traffic stop for alleged reckless driving. The department has not released body camera footage, although it said it plans to do so next week.
Officials have not released a cause of death, but Nichols’ family said he was suffering from cardiac arrest and kidney failure. Nichols’ family watched the body camera footage Friday, according to Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who watched the footage with the family.
The police department identified the officers as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. The officers are all black males and have been employed by the department for at least two years. Mills was the longest serving officer involved in the arrest; was hired in 2017.
No charges have been filed against the officers at this time.
Nichols was a former FedEx worker who enjoyed skateboarding in Memphis. Last weekend, local activists posted a photo of Nichols lying in a hospital bed with a swollen eye and facial injuries that sparked widespread outrage in the community.
The family held protests for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend outside the city’s police station.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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