Five Memphis Police Officers Charged With Murder For Tyre Nichols' Death

Five Memphis police officers were fired after they stopped Tyre Nichols, a Black man, on January 7 and have now been charged with murder in connection with the 29-year-old's death. According to online Shelby County Jail records examined by PEOPLE, all five policemen are accused of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and other counts of official misconduct and oppression. Furthermore, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith are the now-fired cops that were involved in the arrest of Nichols. They are all currently being held at Shelby County Jail.

Details about the case

Tyre Nichols was stopped for allegedly driving recklessly at around 8:30 p.m. on January 7. Memphis police stated in a statement that more than one "confrontation occurred" after officers approached Nichols' vehicle and he allegedly fled on foot. Additionally, when police finally took Nichols into custody, he allegedly started to whine about having trouble breathing. He was taken in an ambulance in severe condition to St. Francis Hospital. Three days after his death, a photograph of him in the hospital purports to reveal his face to be bloodied and battered. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: Los Angeles Times[/caption] According to various outlets, Nichols' family recently saw the body camera footage of his arrest for the first time and claims it shows officers brutally assaulting, restraining, and tasing him. Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, stated at a news conference held at Memphis' Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church, "Our son ran because he was scared for his life." Also read: Who is Arisknight Arkin-Everett Winfree? Man arrested for raping Italian girl on the pretext of fake job Furthermore, at the news conference, Nichols' mother, Ravaughn Wells, remarked, "I don't care what color — black, white, pink, purple, [people] should [never] go through this. My son didn't do no drug[s], didn't carry no guns, he didn't like confrontation, none of that, that's why this is so hard." Wells described her kid as a "beautiful soul" who had her name tattooed on his arm during the press conference. In addition, family lawyer Crump described the arrest video as "deplorable," "heinous, violent … troublesome on every level," adding that it "reminded us of the [1991 LAPD] Rodney King video."

More details

Romanucci, Crump's co-counsel, called the police's behavior "savage" and excessive and said the video showed "an unadulterated, unabashed nonstop beating of this young boy for three minutes." Additionally, Crump claimed that throughout the event, Tyre Nichols frequently screamed out for his mother. Moreover, Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said in a statement about the decision to fire the five officers: "After a thorough review of the circumstances … we have determined that five Memphis Police Department officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image credit: The New York Times[/caption] Davis also added that the department is collaborating with the district attorney's office and will soon make the public aware of the video of the traffic stop. Lastly, two Memphis firefighters who assisted with Tyre Nichols' "initial patient care" on January 7 were reportedly "relieved of duty" as a result of the event. However, the firefighters have not yet faced any charges in relation to his death.