Tyre Nichols death: 4 Memphis ex-officers charged, will not be allowed to work as policemen again
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Four ex-officers involved in the alleged killing Tyre Nichols will no more be allowed to work as policemen in the state. In a court ruling on Friday, March 24, the Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission, also known as POST, voted to decertify Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith. Moreover, the state panel went ahead and approved the decision by Desmond Mills to give up his certification.
Tyre Nichols was beaten to death while being handcuffed and ignored by first responders for crucial minutes. He was hardly conscious when the medics reached the scene. The 29-year-old was stopped and dragged from his vehicle during a late-night traffic stop on January 7. The state commission released the police bodycam video footage and photographs of Nichols which the ex-policemen shared with their colleagues. Nichols succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on January 10.
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'Two emergency medical workers and a lieutenant were fired'
As per early police accounts, the violence of the traffic stop was minimized after taking in witnesses' statements, police, and surveillance videos. It also led to disbanding of a specialized unit. After the investigation, the authorities decided to fire two Memphis Fire Department emergency medical workers and a lieutenant too. Presently, all five former police officers are facing second-degree murder charge and have pleaded not guilty. They chose not to attend their hearings before the commission on Thursday or its vote on Friday, as per ABC News.
‘Wrongly indicted'
Mills’ attorney said that his client had been ‘wrongly indicted and was “focusing on his freedom.” Attorney Blake Ballin said, “It’s a waste of time. It is meaningless to him at this stage in his life,” responding to a desertification attempt. Accused Smith defended his action in a letter alleging, Nichols was “violent and would not comply.”
Preston Hemphill was the one that fired a stun gun at Nichols during the traffic stop and got terminated. Moreover, Dewayne Smith, the supervising lieutenant who arrived on the scene after the beating and retired following the incident is still awaiting his desertification hearing. The seventh police employee who was fired remains anonymous to the public.