Five Memphis police officers have been charged for their role in the brutal beating of Tire Nichols.
The Daily Memphian initially reported that all of the men allegedly involved in the death of 29-year-old Nichols have been federally charged.
An indictment filed Tuesday in federal court accuses the five men, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith, of excessive force, failure to intervene, willful indifference and witness tampering.
The five men, all of whom worked for the Memphis Police Department, were seen on video in January beating and verbally abusing Nichols.
Nichols later died from brain injuries sustained from blunt force trauma to the head, with his death officially ruled a homicide.
Nichols, an unarmed man, died after being kicked and punched by police officers in Memphis in January
From top row from left: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left: Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. All were charged in Nichols’ death
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee will hold a press conference in Memphis today.
The five officers involved – all from the Scorpion unit – claim they arrested Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving.
Nichols was taken to a hospital by ambulance, which left the scene 27 minutes after emergency responders arrived, authorities said.
Police said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation emerged in public documents or video images.
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said she saw no evidence to justify the stop or officers’ response.
After Nichols’ death, she disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she founded in November 2021.
All five men also face charges in Shelby County of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Shocking video of Nichols’ beating showed officers brutally beating the FedEx worker for three minutes while also hurling profanities at him. The Nichols family’s legal team has compared the attack to the infamous 1991 beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.
According to the coroner’s report, Nichols had traces of marijuana in his body
In the video, officers can be heard saying that Nichols was “high as a kite.”
In the shocking video, Nichols could be seen calling for his mother before his limp body was propped against a patrol car and officers exchanged punches.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said at the time of the video’s release that the family would “continue to seek justice” and pointed out that several other officers had failed to provide aid, making them “just as guilty as them.” officers who threw the video.” Beatings.’
The arrest was made by the so-called Scorpion unit, which includes three teams of around 30 street officers who target violent criminals in high-crime areas. The unit has since been disbanded.
An indictment filed Tuesday in federal court accuses the five men of excessive force, failure to intervene, deliberate indifference and witness tampering
Police said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation emerged in public documents or video images
An officer in the video accused Nichols of swerving as if he was going to hit an officer’s car.
The officer said that when Nichols stopped at a red light, the officers jumped out of the car.
“We tried to get him to stop,” the officer said sadly. “He didn’t stop.”
Officers also initially said Nichols had been pulled over for reckless driving, but there was no evidence to support those claims.
After the first officer roughly drags Nichols out of a car, Nichols can be heard saying, “I didn’t do anything,” as a group of officers begin wrestling him to the ground.
Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.