Former Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Five former Tennessee police officers were charged Thursday in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, according to online records.

The officers, who were fired after Nichols’ death, were booked into the Shelby County Jail on Thursday morning, the records showed. 

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith were indicted by a grand jury Thursday and taken into custody.

Nichols, 29, died Jan. 10, three days after a traffic stop by Memphis Police that ended with Nichols severely injured in a hospital.

The officers are charged with the following:
Justin Smith – Two counts of official misconduct, official oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Tadarrius Bean – Second- degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Demetrius Haley – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Emmitt Martin III – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Desmond Mills Jr. – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.

► Continuing coverage of Tyre Nichols Investigation

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy immediately asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation into the use of force by Memphis police officers.

The five Memphis Police officers were fired last Friday for violation of policy. City officials said they were notified Jan. 15.

On Jan. 18, U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office in coordination with the FBI and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Tyre Nichols.  

Nichols’ family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them. The family’s legal team said Nichols was returning to his parents’ home in Hickory Hill after taking pictures of the sunset at Shelby Farms Park.

They said officers beat Nichols for three minutes in an encounter they compared to the 1991 Rodney King police beating in Los Angeles.

Video of the incident has been released by Memphis Police to the family.

Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis on Wednesday night released a more than four-minute-long YouTube video in which she describes the events surrounding Nichols’ death as “heinous, reckless, and inhumane.”

► Watch CJ Davis’ complete statement here

“Aside from being your chief of police, I am a citizen of this community, we share; I am a mother, I am a caring human being who wants the best for all of us; this is not just a professional failing. This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual. This incident was heinous, reckless, and inhumane; and in the vein of transparency when the video is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves,” she said in part.

In addition to the five officers charged Thursday, Davis said in the statement that other officers also are under investigation.

Two Memphis Fire Department personnel also have been relieved of duty pending an investigation.

We talked to NAACP Memphis Branch President Van Turner about the case and the charges all five former officers received. He said he was not surprised by the charges they received.

“As a lawyer, you have to look at the standard of proof which is necessary to prove your case and you have to make sure you’re able to have these charges, as we say, stick and essentially the standard that you have to show us beyond all reasonable doubt. And so I think these charges are adequate. They seem on the spot with what has transpired and I believe these are charges that can be proven in a court of law before a jury,” Turner said.