The city of Memphis is expected to discipline seven more police officers as it continues to investigate the death of Tire Nichols last month, an official told CNN after a city council meeting Tuesday.
Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten by Memphis police officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7 and taken to a hospital where he died three days later. Five police officers were fired shortly after the incident, followed later by several emergency responders and a sixth police officer.
Only the first five police officers were charged with any crime; he is charged with second degree murder.
Tuesday’s announcement brings the total number of officers to be disciplined to 13, according to Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink. The additional officers are expected to receive a “statement of charges” this week.
“A statement of charges is a document where the officer is notified of policy violations that have been identified and then there is a process where they are allowed a hearing and then a decision is made,” Sink explained during the city council meeting .
A final round of disciplinary action is expected this week, Sink said. Administrative hearings are expected next week.
The city is not yet ready to identify all the officers involved, he added.
Body camera footage of Memphis officers’ interaction with Nichols, released late last month, showed them chasing Nichols on foot as he fled the scene. Once Nichols was captured, officers used a stun gun, pepper spray and a heavy beating, including head injuries.
“A lot of things went wrong on Jan. 7,” Police Chief CJ Davis said Tuesday.
Davis cited a lack of supervisors and the “pack mentality” of officers in his comments to Memphis city council members, defending the training provided to them by the department.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the department has been forced to downsize to join the force in recent years because of rising crime and difficulty retaining workers.
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