DA: Fired Memphis cops ‘all responsible’ in killing
Police video said to be ‘appalling’; chief appeals for peace
MEMPHIS, Tenn.. — Five fired Memphis police officers were charged Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes in the killing of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died three days after a confrontation with the officers during a traffic stop.
A grand jury handed up indictments against Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said during a news conference. The fired officers, who are all Black, each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Mulroy said although the fired officers each played different roles in the killing of Nichols, “they are all responsible.”
He said police video of the traffic stop, which Nichols’ family and their lawyers say shows officers savagely beating the 29-year-old father and FedEx worker for three minutes, will be released to the public sometime Friday night.
Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told The Associated Press by phone that he and his wife, RowVaughn Wells, who is Nichols’ mother, discussed the second-degree murder charges and are “fine with it.” They had pushed for first-degree murder charges.
“There’s other charges, so I’m all right with that,” he said.
David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said during the news conference that he saw the video and found it “absolutely appalling”
“Let me be clear: What happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal,” Rausch said.
Court records show that the five former officers were in custody.
Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.
The Memphis police chief has called the fired officers’ actions that night “heinous, reckless and inhumane” and urged residents of the predominantly Black city to protest peacefully when video is released.
“This is not just a professional failing. This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual,” Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said in a video statement released late Wednesday on social media.
Davis said the five officers found to be “directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols,” were fired last week, but other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy. In addition, she said “a complete and independent review” will be conducted of the department’s specialized units, without providing further details.
As state and federal investigations continue, Davis promised the police department’s “full and complete cooperation” to determine what contributed to Nichols’ Jan. 10 death.
Mulroy said Tuesday that local and state investigators wanted to complete as many interviews as possible before releasing the video. The timetable has rankled some activists who expected
the video to be released after Nichols’ family and the family’s lawyers viewed it Monday.
The attorneys for Nichols’ family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, issued a statement praising the charges. Crump said the video showed that Nichols was shocked, pepper-sprayed and restrained when he was pulled over
for a traffic stop near his home. He was returning home from a suburban park where he had taken photos of the sunset. The legal team likened the incident to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.
When video of the arrest is publicly released, Davis said she expects people in the community to react,
but she urged them to do so peacefully.
“I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, to demand actions and results, but we need to ensure our community is safe in this process,” she said. “None of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction on our community or against our citizens.”