October 4, 2024

Five Memphis police officers charged over death of Tyre Nichols

Five former police officers in Tennessee have been charged with second-degree murder after a black man died following a traffic stop.

from left: Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean

Tyre Nichols, 29, was stopped in Memphis on 7 January for reckless driving. He died three days later.

Officials will give an update later on Thursday and video of the arrest is expected to be released.

The city’s police chief earlier urged people to stay calm once the footage is made public.

The five officers, all of whom joined the Memphis Police Department in the last six years, were fired last week after an investigation found them to be “directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr Nichols”.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith are all in custody, jail records show.

On Wednesday, lawyers for Mr Nichols’ family said an autopsy indicated he had been beaten. “Preliminary findings indicate Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating,” lawyers Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said.

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