Tennessee officials said Thursday that five dismissed Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Tyre Nichols. This month, Nichols died three days after a rough arrest by police.
Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation David Rausch stated during a press conference announcing the accusations, “This was wrong. This was criminal,”
District Attorney Steve Mulroy of Shelby County stated that a grand jury indicted Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith for second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression.
Although the fired cops played distinct roles in Nichols’ murder, according to Mulroy, “they are all responsible.”
Mulroy stated that video footage of the arrest would be released soon after 6 p.m. on Friday. Nichols’ family has seen the footage, but it has not yet been made public.
Friday morning, according to Shelby County jail records, only Haley remained in custody on a $250,000 bail. The remaining defendants were released after posting bond. His value was $350,000. Other’s was valued at $250,000
Ben Crump, the attorney for Nichols’ family, stated that Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx employee and father, was shocked, pepper-sprayed, and detained during a traffic stop near his home, as evidenced by police video viewed by the family.
The footage, according to Rausch, was “absolutely appalling.”
“Let me be clear: What happened here does not at all reflect proper policing,” he stated.
Special Report: Five terminated Memphis police officers are charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols 26:03
Mayor of Memphis Jim Strickland complimented officials for immediately firing and indicting the involved policemen.
“We have worked to get a resolution to these matters in record time because we take them extremely seriously,” he said in a taped statement on Thursday.
Since learning of this horrific tragedy, transparency and rapid, methodical action have been our top goals, as the Nichols family and our citizens deserve nothing less, as stated by Strickland. The actions of these policemen were atrocious, and no one is above the law, even law enforcement. I guarantee you that we will do everything possible to prevent this type of heinous behavior from occurring again.
The mayor stated that it was evident that the cops broke departmental standards and training, and that measures are being taken to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis urged city citizens to protest peacefully when the arrest footage is public. She has described the acts of the dismissed policemen that night as “heinous, reckless and inhumane.”
“This is not just a professional failing. This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual,” Davis said in a video message posted to social media late Wednesday.
The five policemen who were found to be “directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols” were fired last week, but Davis stated that additional officers are still being examined for policy violations. Nichols and the five officers involved in his arrest were also Black.
A photograph of Tyre Nichols is exhibited at his funeral service in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 17, 2023. On January 7, Nichols was slain following a traffic stop with Memphis Police. On January 10, three days later, he died. Adrian Sainz / AP
There are no attorneys listed in the court records for Smith, Bean, or Haley. William Massey, Martin’s attorney, acknowledged that his client had surrendered. He and Mills’ attorney, Blake Ballin, stated during a press conference on Thursday that they have not yet viewed footage of the arrest. The attorneys emphasized that their clients are entitled to due process notwithstanding the emotive nature of the issue.
Massey stated, “There are numerous allegations made against the officers and I watched the conference, and Mulroy did a nice job presenting his side to the media and he asked for justice and we agree,” “Justice means following the law. And the law says no one is guilty until the jury says they’re guilty.”
According to Massey, none of the police planned to murder Nichols.
“No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die,” Massey told reporters. Nobody. Nobody. Police officers have a difficult and dangerous job, and one of their greatest worries is that something like this may occur under their watch.
Ballin stated that Mills’ family is experiencing “a lot of anxiety and pain,” due to his arrest, and that he is concerned for Mills’ and the community’s safety. Ballin noted that Mills was posting bond and in the process of being freed from jail.
Ballin defended Mills’ integrity and indicated that his client was “devastated” by the accusations against him.
Ballin stated, “I’ve spent some time with Mills,” “He is known locally and back where he’s from in Connecticut. He’s a gentle father. He’s devastated to be charged with a crime. To be accused of something like this hurts him on another level.”
Under Tennessee law, second-degree murder is a class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told the Associated Press over the phone that he and Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, had discussed the second-degree murder accusations and are “fine with it.” They had pushed for first-degree murder charges.
“There’s other charges, so I’m all right with that,” he remarked.
Wells, who earlier this week appealed for protests to stay peaceful when the video is revealed, stated that he is “ecstatic” that authorities had moved swiftly in the case.
Crump and another family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, issued a statement praising the accusations.
They wrote, “The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre,” This young man was killed in a particularly heinous manner, highlighting the dire need for change and reform to guarantee that this type of brutality does not occur during low-threat procedures, such as a traffic stop.
Nichols was heading home after photographing the sunset in a suburban park. The legal team alleged that policemen assaulted Nichols for three minutes in a “savage” incident reminiscent of the 1991 police beating of Los Angeles driver Rodney King.
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