On Thursday, five former Memphis police officers were charged with murder and other crimes related to the beating death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. On Friday, body cam footage of the beating and Nichols’ arrest will be released to the public.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith have all been charged with the same crimes, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. The five former officers, like Nichols, are Black. All five have also been fired from the Memphis Police Department.What Led to This?On January 7, police pulled Nichols over for alleged reckless driving. Police say Nichols fled the scene, causing the officers to chase him which then led to another “confrontation.” At that time, police say Nichols complained about shortness of breath and was brought to a hospital in critical condition. He died on January 10.Nichols’ family says he died of a heart attack and kidney failure that they argue was brought on by the confrontation with police officers. Authorities have not issued a cause of death, saying only that Nichols had a “medical emergency.”An independent autopsy, the preliminary results of which were released by the family’s lawyers on Thursday, found that Nichols “suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.”Body camera footage of the confrontation has been shown to city officials and Nichols’ family and attorneys. The footage will not be released to the public until Friday evening. According to one of the family’s attorneys, Nichols was beaten, shocked with a Taser, pepper sprayed, and restrained during his arrest. The attorney noted that Nichols could be heard crying out for his mother in the video.City officials are not denying that the video is brutal and say it does not represent the city or its police department.
