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Five Memphis police officers have been fired for using excessive force. And “violating other policies” during the arrest of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, as reported by Fox News.
According to the outlet, the five officers terminated include Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. The officers had been on the force for between two and a half and five years. And in addition to using excessive force during the arrest of Tyre Nichols, they also failed “to render aid” and fulfill “their duty to intervene.”
The police department issued a written statement, detailing the department’s “internal, department charges,” as reported by Commercial Appeal.
Earlier today, each officer charged was terminated from the Memphis Police Department The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work that our officers perform with integrity, every day.
The officers were fired Friday evening.
Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, Nichols’ family attorneys, responded to the action taken by the Memphis Police Department with a joint statement.
This is the first step towards achieving justice for Tyre and his family. They must also be held accountable for robbing this man of his life and his son of a father.
The attorneys stated that they would continue to “demand transparency and accountability.” And the Memphis Police Department has agreed to give body camera footage of Nichols’ arrest to his family. And share it with the public, once their internal investigation concludes.
Nichols’ sister has since spoken out about her brother’s brutal arrest and death.
To see their faces makes me angry. I’m trying to hold it together, but my heart has been ripped open. This is torture.
Jamal Dupree, one of Nichols’ older brothers, also released a joint statement with a family friend.
Knowing the history of police interactions with the Black community throughout time, these men took a position of power and instead of doing something to better the future and honor the past, they became no better than the days of Emmett Till. They have let us all down. Justice will be served to them.
According to Fox News, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is also looking into the force used during the arrest.
Relatives of Nichols have accused the five officers of beating him until he had a heart attack during the arrest. While police have said that he had a “medical emergency,” as reported by the outlet.
Nichols was reportedly stopped for reckless driving around 8:30 p.m. on January 7. A “confrontation” ensued and Nichols allegedly ran before officers arrested him. Officers said that another “confrontation” took place.
According to Fox News, Nichols complained of shortness of breath. And was taken to St. Francis Hospital “in critical condition.” He died three days later on January 10.
An image of Nichols in the hospital was shared shortly after his death, as reported by Commercial Appeal. It showed him intubated and his face was “disfigured from a combination of significant welts.” In addition, his nose was “nearly bent into an ‘s’ shape.” And blood was seen on his hospital tubes and sheets.
Family members maintain that Nichols suffered a plethora of injuries which included kidney failure and brain swelling. Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, adds that the 29-year-old was “hooked up to a dialysis machine prior to his death.” The family is reportedly calling for the officers to be charged with “murder one.”
Body camera footage is said to be released to the family as early as Monday, according to Action News 5.
