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Who is Preston Hemphill? Sixth Memphis cop relieved of duty after fatal Tyre Nichols beating

Preston Hemphill has been on administrative leave following an internal investigation that began after Tyre Nichols was brutally assaulted by the cops
UPDATED JAN 30, 2023
Preston Hemphill (L) is the sixth officer to be ‘relieved of duty’ by the authorities in Tyre Nichols' death (Facebook, GoFundMe)
Preston Hemphill (L) is the sixth officer to be ‘relieved of duty’ by the authorities in Tyre Nichols' death (Facebook, GoFundMe)

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Preston Hemphill, the sixth Memphis police officer has been suspended from services in relation to Tyre Nichols’ killing by the authorities. He has been on administrative leave after an internal investigation on January 8, which was conducted after the heinous assault on the FedEx driver on January 7. As per Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, there could be more charges pertaining to the case.

Tyre Nichols, 29, had a keen interest in photography and his website bio read, “My name is Tyre D. Nichols. I am an aspiring photographer. Well, I mostly do this stuff for fun but I enjoy it very much. Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way. It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people. I take different types of photography, anywhere from action sports to rural photos, to bodies of water, and my favorite.. landscape photography.”

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'They thought they’d get away': Internet wonders how cops dared to attack Tyre Nichols with bodycams on

Tragic death of Tyre Nichols: 5 ex-Memphis cops charged with murder after beating motorist to death

(L-R) Tadarrius Bean, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, and Demetrius Hailey (Memphis Police Department)
(L-R) Tadarrius Bean, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, and Demetrius Hailey (Memphis Police Department)

Who is Preston Hemphill?

Preston Hemphill is the sixth officer to be ‘relieved of duty’ by the authorities after the incident in which Nichols was pepper sprayed, and brutally hit by five other officers. Desmond Mills Jr, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith. They were all arrested after the incident and faced multiple criminal charges. The latest arrest of Hemphill, came after his bodycam footage released publicly on Friday, January 27, showed the young officer pulling Nichols from his car forcefully and pinning him to the ground.

The clip released further shows him hitting the victim once he’s on the surface with a Taser, and making a chase when Nichols managed to escape and eventually ran away. Hemphill can be heard saying, “I hope they stomp his a**,”  reports DailyMail. His representative in the case, Lee Gerald, said, “I can confirm that I represent Memphis Police Officer Preston Hemphill who was the third officer at the initial stop of Mr Nichols. Video One is his bodycam footage. As per departmental regulations, Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam. He was never present in the second scene. He is cooperating with officials in this investigation.”

Meanwhile, Mulroy had said that one can expect more charges against five officers in the death of Nichols. After battling for three days in the hospital, Nichols died and the officers now face second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression.

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