Report: Officer brandished gun
One of three Memphis Police officers who initially detained Tyre Nichols last month has admitted he did not witness the alleged reckless driving that was the justification for pulling over Nichols but still approached his car while brandishing his gun, according to police documents seeking to bar him from working in law enforcement.
That Jan. 7 traffic stop quickly escalated into a beating, and Nichols died three days later.
Officer Preston Hemphill’s own body camera showed that from the very beginning of the traffic stop he and two other officers approached Nichols with force that was disproportionate for the alleged offense of reckless driving, according to a statement from the disciplinary hearing that took place before he was fired.
Hemphill was fired last week but has not been charged for his role in Nichols’ beating and arrest, which has sparked widespread outrage and reignited a national discussion of police brutality against Black people. Five other officers, who are Black and were caught on video pummeling Nichols with their fists, feet and a baton, have been charged with murder and other offenses.
Hemphill did not take part in the second, more violent encounter, which took place after Nichols ran from police. But the documents highlight that he was heard on his body camera telling his partner he hopes they “stomp” him.
The information about Hemphill’s actions is contained in supporting documents attached to a Wednesday request from Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis to strip Hemphill, who is white, of his police certification so that he could not work in law enforcement again. Hemphill’s lawyer did not immediately comment Thursday because he had not fully read the documents.
The documents help create a fuller picture of the initial encounter with the 29-year- old Nichols that involved Hemphill, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III. Haley and Martin were fired last month and charged with seconddegree murder in Nichols’ death along with Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith.
The police chief has said she saw no justification in video of the incident for pulling Nichols over in the first place.