Omega Psi Phi frat revokes membership of 3 ex-officers

Three former Memphis police officers charged with second-degree murder in Tyre Nichols’ death had their fraternity memberships revoked by the organization.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. issued a statement Tuesday, the day before Nichols’ celebration of life, saying Tadarrius Bean (Nu Mu Mu chapter), Emmitt Martin III (Sigma Lambda Lambda chapter), and Desmond Mills, Jr. (Also Sigma Lambda Lambda chapter) had revoked their memberships “effective immediately” after learning the former officers were members.

“We strongly condemn the conduct of the former Memphis police officers involved in the incident, including the three former members of our organization,” the statement from Grand Basileus Ricky L. Lewis said. “The brutality shown in the video not only violated our moral sensibilities, but also transgressed our fraternal and established code of conduct.”

Two days earlier, on Jan. 29, the fraternity had issued a statement calling Nichols’ death “unacceptable.”

“We expect law enforcement officers to protect life and serve our communities with the highest regard for safety and humanity,” Lewis wrote in the earlier statement. “Unfortunately, what we witnessed of the violent behavior of the accused (now former) officers is the complete opposite.”

The latest statement, revoking the officers’ memberships, does not include the names of the officers. However, the fired and charged officers did appear in the ‘expelled persons’ list.

Nichols was pulled over for what police originally called “reckless driving,” although in their later investigations, MPD Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis told CNN, there was no evidence to reinforce the claims that Nichols had violated any traffic laws.

When officers pulled Nichols out of his car, as seen on Officer Preston Hemphill’s body camera footage that was publicly released Jan. 27, Nichols can be heard asking, “What did I do?”

Officers could then be seen pulling Nichols from his car and dragging him to the ground. He ran away after pepper spray was used and officers chased him.

Nichols was about 100 yards from his mother’s home, the place he is said to have been running to, when officers tackled him to the ground and then proceeded to punch, kick, pepper spray, and hit him with a baton, according to body camera and Skycop footage that was also released Jan. 27.

He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition. He died three days later.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @Lucasfinton.