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☆ Tyre Nichols: Ex-officer testifies he beat ‘helpless’ Nichols then lied about it
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Ex-officer testifies, ‘He was helpless’Prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert asked Martin whether officers were allowed to use force out of anger. In this still from video released by the City of Memphis, officers from the Memphis Police Department beat Tyre Nichols on a street corner. Martin said he told Lt. Smith that Nichols was high, without evidence, and that officers lied about Nichols driving into oncoming traffic and swinging at them during the traffic stop. The truth needs to come out,” Martin told Gilbert. While Martin was away from his team, Justin Smith called and Martin told him he was having homicidal thoughts, Martin said.

Persons: ” Tyre Nichols, “, ”, Emmitt Martin III, Nichols, Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, ” Martin, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Bean, Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Mills, RowVaughn, Rodney Wells, RowVaughn Wells, Nichols ’, ‘, Kathryn Gilbert, Tyre Nichols, Memphis Martin, Dewayne Smith, Gilbert, John Keith Perry, Perry, Ben Crump Nichols, — Organizations: Tennessee AP, Memphis, Scorpion, City, Memphis Police Department, Scorpion Unit Locations: Memphis, Tennessee, Tadarrius Bean Shelby, City of Memphis, City

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police officers violated protocol when they used excessive force against Tyre Nichols and overstated his actions, a former officer who has pleaded guilty in the case testified. Tyre Nichols. “Because I exaggerated what he had done … and it escalated,” Martin said, adding that officers violated protocol by pursuing a nonviolent offender. Martin, the first former officer to testify at their trial, and Desmond Mills Jr., have pleaded guilty to the federal charges. I was seeing red.”After Nichols was stopped, Martin said Haley brandished his gun and told Nichols to “get the f--- out of the car.” Martin then pulled out his gun before Haley snatched Nichols from the car.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Emmitt Martin III, Nichols, Martin, Ben Crump, ” Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Kathryn Gilbert, “, ”, Haley brandished, Haley, Black, Rebecca Byrd, Deon J Organizations: — Police, Former Memphis, Memphis Police Department Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Our, Memphis, Hampton, Denver

☆ Opening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Opening statements were expected Wednesday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with federal civil rights violations in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. Police video released that month showed the five officers, who also are Black, beating Nichols as he yelled for his mother about a block from his home. The officers said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief has said there is no evidence to substantiate that claim. The three officers now facing trial, along with Martin and Mills, were fired for violating Memphis Police Department policies. They had been members of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols’ death.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Nichols, Mark Norris, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, Black, Martin, Mills, Preston Hemphill, pummeled, Hemphill, Dewayne Smith, Bill Lee, “, Lee Organizations: Memphis, Prosecutors, U.S, District, Police, Former Memphis, FedEx, Memphis Police Department, Scorpion Unit, Tennessee Gov, Republican Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis

☆ ‘De-escalation is key.’ Why traffic stops like Tyreek Hill’s are sometimes dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Many traffic stops end without making headlines. But thanks to the ubiquity of cameras, the traffic stop in recent years has become the setting for many high-profile incidents between officers and motorists. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested by officers directing traffic outside the PGA Championship after a fatal accident. And this week, three former Memphis, Tennessee, officers went on trial for the fatal 2023beating of Tyre Nichols, which also followed a traffic stop. ‘De-escalation is key’The tenor of a traffic stop usually begins with the reason it was initiated in the first place, said Ramsey.

Persons: Tyreek Hill, Hill, Scottie Scheffler, Scheffler, “, ” Hill, ’, ”, Charles Ramsey, Philando Castile, Daunte Wright, Tyre Nichols, They’re, ” Thor Eells, ‘, Ramsey, they’ve, It’s Organizations: CNN, Miami, Dade, Miami Dolphins, PGA, California, Louisville Metro Police Department, Philadelphia Police, National Tactical Officers Association, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU Locations: Hill, Washington, DC, Minnesota, Castile, Memphis , Tennessee, Tennessee

☆ Trial of 3 former Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death set to begin
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis officers charged with violating the civil rights of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man whose fatal beating was caught on police cameras while also triggering protests and calls for police reform. Officers caught up with Nichols and pummeled him in a Memphis neighborhood, police video showed. An autopsy report showed Nichols died from blows to the head and that the manner of death was homicide. The three officers now facing trial, along with Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., were fired after Nichols’ death for violating Memphis Police Department policies. Mills and Martin both have pleaded guilty in federal court and they could testify in the trial.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Nichols, pummeled, Lucy Garrett, Black, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, Mills, Martin Organizations: Memphis, Mississippi, Christian Church, FedEx, Memphis Police Department Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis

A second former Memphis police officer is expected to change his not guilty plea on Friday in connection to alleged civil rights violations that ended in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, court documents revealed. A change of plea hearing for former officer Emmitt Martin has been set for 2 p.m. CT in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Mark Norris, records showed. Back in November, another former Memphis officer, Desmond Mills Jr., changed his plea to guilty to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. Memphis Police Department via APThe 29-year-old Nichols died in the hospital several days following a traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023. Officers reportedly pulled over Nichols for reckless driving, but Memphis police later said there was no evidence to support a stop.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Emmitt Martin, Mark Norris, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Nichols, — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith —, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright Organizations: Memphis, District, Memphis Police Department Locations: U.S, Memphis

CNN —A second former Memphis police officer facing federal civil rights charges in the violent arrest and beating death of Tyre Nichols changed his plea to guilty on Friday in federal court. Mills and Martin are among five former officers charged in the death of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. He admitted he “willfully used unreasonable force against Tyre Nichols,” “aided and abetted” other officers in assaulting Nichols and “failed to intervene” in other officers’ use of force. Police said the unit was permanently deactivated shortly after Nichols’ death. The beating and Nichols’ death led to protests and vigils in Memphis and other major US cities, reigniting the contentious debate over policing and the ways that law enforcement treat Black people.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Nichols, Martin, Mills, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, ”, “, ” “, abetted, ” RowVaughn Wells, “ Tyre, Martin’s, ” Wells, ” Ben Crump, Rodney Wells, we’ll, Derek Chauvin’s, George Floyd, ” Crump, Crump Organizations: CNN, Memphis, Force, Memphis Police Department, Police Locations: Memphis, Minneapolis, America, Shelby County

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge on Thursday pushed back for four months the federal court trial of four former Memphis police officers charged with civil rights violations in the beating death of Tyre Nichols. Officers caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him and hit him with a police baton, video showed. An autopsy report showed Nichols died from blows to the head, and that the manner of death was homicide. Along with Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were fired after Nichols’ death. Norris ruled last week against Haley's motion to exclude expert testimony at the federal trial.

Persons: —, Tyre Nichols, Mark Norris, Norris, Stephen Ross Johnson, Emmitt Martin, ” Johnson, “, yanked Nichols, Nichols, Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Justin Smith, Mills, Black, Michael Stengel, Stengel, ” Organizations: Memphis, District, Memphis ’, Memphis Police, U.S . Department Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis, United States

The Camden County Sheriff's Office hired him nine months later. His file shows Aldridge was disciplined for using unnecessary force in February 2014 and May 2017. The department fired Aldridge for his third infraction just three months later. “It's just not worth the risk.”Bessent and other advocates say it’s an example of Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor tolerating unnecessary violence. After one car crashes, body and dash camera video shows Aldridge shouting expletives as he approaches with his gun drawn.

Persons: Buck Aldridge, Leonard Cure, Aldridge, ”, Timothy Bessent Sr, Neill Franklin, they’re, Franklin, “ It's, ” Bessent, Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor, Proctor, Larry Bruce, Jarrett Hobbs, Hobbs, jailers, “ You’ve, Harry Daniels, Christine Newman, Newman, Robert Persse, Louis Dekmar, Dekmar, Mike Spiers, “ Buck Aldridge, Adrienne Browning, “, Cure, That's, Thaddeus Johnson, ” Johnson, expletives, Johnson Organizations: Camden County sheriff's, The Associated Press, Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Camden, Camden County’s NAACP, AP, U.S . Marine, Kingsland Police, Police, Maryland State Police, Baltimore Police Department, Camden County Sheriff, International Association of Chiefs, Georgia State University, Criminal Locations: Camden, Georgia, Florida, Camden County’s, Kingsland, Georgia's, Camden County, Hobbs, LaGrange , Georgia, Franklin, Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has set an August trial date for four former Memphis police officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop in January. During a short hearing on Monday, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. announced the Aug. 12 trial date in the cases of Emmitt Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. A fifth officer charged in the case, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty last week to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. The five former officers who were charged also are Black. The federal trial date for the four other officers is May 6.

Persons: —, Tyre Nichols, James Jones Jr, Emmitt Martin, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Mills, Nichols, Jan Organizations: Memphis, Prosecutors, U.S, Memphis Police Department Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Shelby

☆ Former Memphis Officer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Murder in Tyre Nichols Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The former Memphis police officers accused of murder in the death of Tyre Nichols appeared with attorneys at a February hearing. Photo: Brandon Dill/Associated PressA former Memphis police officer agreed to plead guilty to murder charges in the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols in January as part of a deal reached Thursday with federal and state prosecutors. Desmond Mills Jr ., 33, accepted a plea deal on second-degree murder charges in the case against him and four other officers involved in the traffic stop that left Nichols beaten beyond recognition. He was also charged with aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression in the state case.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Brandon Dill, Desmond Mills Jr, Nichols Organizations: Memphis, Associated Press

Desmond Mills Jr., one of five former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to two felony charges of obstruction of justice and excessive force. He is the first of the five officers indicted on federal charges by a grand jury in September to plead guilty. His cooperation is expected to include pleading guilty to at least some of the state charges, and potentially testifying against the other officers. The remaining four officers have all pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges. Five Black officers from the department’s elite Scorpion unit, including Mr. Mills, were soon fired for their roles in the beating.

Persons: Desmond Mills Jr, Tyre Nichols, Mills, Nichols Organizations: Memphis, Prosecutors, Scorpion

[1/2] Desmond Mills Jr. with attorney Blake Ballin stand as five former Memphis police officers who have been charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols attend an arraignment hearing at Shelby County courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - One of the five former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Black motorist Tyre Nichols has asked a U.S. District Court judge to change his plea of not guilty in the federal civil rights case, court records showed on Wednesday. The Daily Memphian, citing an interview with Ballin, said the plea would affect the state case against him. The officers also face a federal civil suit filed by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump on behalf of the family. The other officers charged in the case are Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean.

Persons: Desmond Mills Jr, Blake Ballin, Tyre Nichols, Karen Pulfer Focht, Black, Mark Norris, Mills, Nichols, whacked, Ballin, Ben Crump, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, cuffed, Daniel Trotta, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Memphis, REUTERS, U.S, of, Police, The Memphis Police Department, Memphis Fire Department, Thomson Locations: Shelby County, Memphis , Tennessee, U.S, Western, of Tennessee

☆ Five former Memphis police officers indicted in Tyre Nichols killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The five officers, all of whom are Black, were fired from the department. According to Tuesday's indictment, they have been charged with four federal counts including "Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law: Excessive Force and Failure to Intervene." The indictment says the five former officers provided "false and misleading information" and "intentionally omitted material information" in their communications with the Memphis Police Department in the reports about Nichols' arrest, the filing added. In July, the Justice Department opened an investigation into whether the Memphis Police Department has an unconstitutional "pattern or practice" of using excessive force and racial discrimination. The Justice Department said it had received multiple reports of Memphis officers using excessive force and reports they may use force against people who are already restrained or in police custody.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Nichols, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr, Justin Smith, Eric Beech, Kanishka Singh, Caitlin Webber Organizations: Memphis, Mason, : Church of God, Police, Force, Memphis Police Department, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Memphis , Tennessee, U.S, WASHINGTON

☆ Five Former Officers Indicted on Federal Charges in Tyre Nichols Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Emily Cochrane | More About Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five former Memphis police officers accused of brutally beating Tyre Nichols have been indicted on federal criminal charges in connection with Mr. Nichols’s death in January, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday. The four charges, handed up by a grand jury in the Federal District Court in Memphis, accuse each of the five men of various civil rights, conspiracy and obstruction offenses. The indictment says that the two offenses led to Mr. Nichols’s severe injuries and death. If convicted, the men could face up to life in prison on those two counts alone. The remaining two counts — both related to witness tampering and obstruction — are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Nichols’s, Nichols Organizations: Memphis, Justice Department, Court Locations: Federal, Memphis

CNN —Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who was violently beaten by Memphis police officers in January, died from blunt force trauma to the head and his death has been ruled a homicide, his autopsy results revealed Thursday. Nichols was repeatedly punched and kicked by five Memphis Police Department officers on January 7 following a traffic stop and brief foot chase. A toxicology report performed on Nichols detected the presence of chemicals associated with marijuana and alcohol use, the report says. CNN has contacted the Shelby County medical examiner to obtain a direct copy of Nichols’ autopsy report. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told CNN on Tuesday that it will not pursue criminal charges against Hemphill.

"We're not endorsing what happened, but we do not believe that criminal charges are appropriate," Mulroy told reporters. An autopsy will be available soon and is expected to confirm that Nichols died of injuries from the beating, Mulroy added. Police video of the incident showed officers kicking, punching and beating Nichols with a baton on Jan. 7. Hemphill, along with those accused of murder and a seventh officer, were relieved of their duties by the Memphis Police Department. Prosecutors will not charge any other officer who arrived after the beating but are still investigating fire department staff, Mulroy said.

[1/2] People exit the building after a vote on to expel two of three Democratic members for their role in a gun control demonstration at the statehouse last week, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 6, 2023. On Thursday, the Tennessee House of Representatives' Republican supermajority voted to remove Democratic Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, two young Black legislators, over demonstrations pushing for stricter gun laws. On Thursday, President Joe Biden decried the expulsions of the state lawmakers on Twitter, calling them "shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent." The White House, which announced the trip, did not provide other details about the meeting, scheduled for Friday evening. Nearly 50 organizations, led by the gun safety advocacy group the Newtown Action Alliance, called for nationwide student walkouts in solidarity with those in Tennessee.

☆ Former Memphis Police Officers Plead Not Guilty in Death of Tyre Nichols
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Joseph Pisani | Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Five former Memphis, Tenn., police officers pleaded not guilty in the death of Tyre Nichols , a 29-year-old Black man who died last month after being kicked and punched by police during a traffic stop. Tadarrius Bean , Demetrius Haley , Justin Smith , Desmond Mills Jr . and Emmitt Martin III were arrested and charged with second-degree murder last month for Mr. Nichols’s death.

☆ Five former Memphis officers plead not guilty in beating death of Tyre Nichols
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Maria Alejandra Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb 17 (Reuters) - Five former Memphis police officers on Friday pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges stemming from last month's beating of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose death three days later stirred outrage and fresh calls for reform. Police video captured images of the officers beating and kicking Nichols, hitting him with a baton, spraying him with pepper spray and firing a stun gun at him on Jan. 7 following a traffic stop. [1/3] Five former Memphis police officers who have been charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols appear during an arraignment hearing at Shelby County courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., February 17, 2023. Two Shelby County sheriff's deputies who responded to the scene were suspended five days without pay. Officers on the video said Nichols had swerved through traffic dangerously, and one said Nichols attempted to grab his gun during the scrum.

☆ The white officer fired for his role in Tyre Nichols' arrest was once praised for his ability to 'extinguish a volatile situation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Narimes Parakul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tyre Nichols died three days after being pulled over and beaten by Memphis police officers. Preston Hemphill was the sixth officer fired over his role in Nichols' arrest. Hemphill, who joined the Memphis Police Department in March 2018, was fired on February 3 for his role at the scene of Tyre Nichols' beating. "As per departmental regulations Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam," Gerald said. Hemphill was the sixth and only white officer to be fired by the city of Memphis over the SCORPION unit's beating of Tyre Nichols.

☆ Memphis officers charged in Nichols death face review of older cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This involves any criminal case that [the officers] were involved in. It is any case where there were criminal charges that were brought by the DA anytime since they became officers." The beating occurred despite the use-of-force policies that Memphis and other U.S. cities pledged to strengthen after the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The five officers were members of SCORPION, a now-disbanded specialized police unit that was formed in October 2021 to concentrate on crime hot spots. Several of the officers who have been fired had received written reprimands or short suspensions for violating department policies, according to their personnel files.

☆ Demetrius Haley didn't tell Tyre Nichols why he'd been pulled over. The Memphis cop was talking on the phone during the stop, documents show.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Memphis officer Demetrius Haley never told Tyre Nichols why he was pulled over. Department records say Haley approached Nichols while talking on the phone in a black hoodie. He yelled profanities, despite no evidence that Nichols ever swore at or threatened officers. "You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest." A day after Nichols' beating, the department released a statement describing a "confrontation" with an alleged reckless driver, later identified as Tyre Nichols.

☆ Memphis Police Department fires 6th officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating death
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Memphis Police Department fired a sixth officer involved in Tyre Nichols' death. Five Memphis officers have already been fired and charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death. Hemphill was the third officer at a traffic stop that preceded the violent arrest but was not where Nichols was beaten. Also Friday, a Tennessee board suspended the emergency medical technician licenses of two former Memphis Fire Department employees for failing to render critical care. The department has said she remained in the engine with the driver during the response to Nichols' beating Jan. 7.

☆ Desmond Mills Jr., one of the Memphis police officers who beat Tyre Nichols, previously failed to report his role in a different violent incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Michelle Mark | Narimes Parakul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Records show that Desmond Mills Jr. received a reprimand for failing to report his use of force. A woman Mills helped arrest alleged that officers beat her and slammed her head into a squad car. "Officer Mills stated he was familiar with completing the response to resistance document in Blue Team, but he did not realize it applied to his actions in this case," a document summarizing Mills' disciplinary hearing said. Mills is not the only officer who was disciplined for failing to report a use of force. In total, four out of the five officers charged in Nichols' death had previously been disciplined for various matters.

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