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Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday of federal witness tampering charges related to the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols in 2023, according to NBC News affiliate WMC. Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith and Taddarius Bean were accused of depriving Nichols of his rights through excessive force, obstructing justice through witness tampering and other crimes. Haley was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to witness tamper and one count of obstruction of justice for witness tampering. Bean and Smith were found guilty on only one count, obstruction of justice for witness tampering, WMC reported. The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Taddarius Bean, Nichols, Haley, Bean, Smith, RowVaughn Wells, Wells, Lucy Garrett, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, Mills, Martin, ”, pummeled, “, Attorney Elizabeth Rogers, fatherless, ” Mills, “ I’m, Ben Crump, Rodney Wells, Scott Olson, Kathryn Gilbert, John Keith Perry, Stephen Leffler Organizations: Memphis, NBC News, WMC, Mississippi, Christian Church, Prosecutors, U.S, Attorney, Scorpion Unit, NBC Locations: Memphis, Tenn

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A disgraced former Memphis police officer cried on the stand Tuesday as he watched video of him and his former colleagues giving Tyre Nichols the brutal beating that led to his death. Mills’ jarring and emotional testimony came during the trial of Bean, Smith and Demetrius Haley. Mills testified that he became incensed after his first encounter with Nichols because he had inadvertently sprayed himself with pepper spray. Last week, Martin testified that he initiated the bogus reckless driving traffic stop of Nichols. Nichols, Martin testified, never posed a threat when they yanked him out of his car.

Persons: —, Tyre Nichols, Desmond Mills Jr, Nichols, “, ”, ” Mills, Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Mills, fatherless, I’m, ” Nichols, Bean, Smith, Demetrius Haley, Martin, Forrest Christian, Haley, ” Martin, Jerry Askin, Lydian, Corky Siemaszko Organizations: Memphis Police Department, AP Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis, New York City

☆ 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

☆ Tyre Nichols trial update: Former officer testifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The four men, along with fellow officer Desmond Mills Jr., were fired after the January 2023 death of Nichols. For the first time in the trial, jurors heard from one of the officers who beat Nichols. Haley eventually stopped Nichols’ Nissan, pulled out his gun and snatched Nichols from his vehicle without telling Nichols why he was stopped. Former officer: Memphis officers are not trained to punch or kick peopleVideo also shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. In this still from video released by the City of Memphis, officers from the Memphis Police Department beat Tyre Nichols on a street corner.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Emmitt Martin III, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Nichols, Desmond Mills Jr, Martin, Mills, —, Ben Crump, Haley, Nissan, ” Martin, Jan, Elizabeth Rogers, “, Larnce Wright, Wright, Martin Zummach, handcuff Nichols, Zummach, Smith, ” Zummach, ” Kevin Whitmore, Bean’s, ” Wright Organizations: Tennessee AP, Memphis, Scorpion, Memphis police, City, Memphis Police Department Locations: Memphis, Tennessee, City of Memphis, City

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

Officials have not yet released body camera footage of the most recent shooting, which occurred Tuesday afternoon, but residents of the southwest Baltimore neighborhood expressed outrage over what they called an unnecessary loss of life. The man, later identified as Hunter Jessup, started running and allegedly pointed a gun at police during the ensuing chase. The group said DAT officers treat them with disdain and routinely initiate negative interactions. Police leaders often commend officers for getting illegal firearms off the streets, and Baltimore gun violence overall has been trending downward in recent months. Daniel Webster, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions in Baltimore, said the success of specialized gun units often hinges on a focused approach.

Persons: “ They’re, ”, Rashawn McNeil, “, ” McNeil, Hunter Jessup, McNeil, Richard Worley, Jessup, ” Worley, Freddie Gray’s, Tyre Nichols, Daniel Webster, Webster, there’s, Lindsey Eldridge, ” Eldridge, Rashad McNeil, ” Rashawn McNeil, “ It’s Organizations: BALTIMORE, Baltimore Police Department, Police, Force, of Justice, Johns Hopkins University’s Center, Gun Violence Solutions, Webster’s, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Baltimore Locations: Baltimore, Jessup, Memphis

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

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.

☆ Tyre Nichols death: Memphis mayor and police chief requested DOJ's review of the police department
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Justice Department is reviewing the Memphis Police Department after Tyre Nichols' beating death. The review was requested by Memphis' mayor and police chief, the Justice Department said. The investigation was prompted by the death of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by Memphis police officers. It will also review specialized street crime units like the SCORPION Unit, which the department deactivated after Nichols' death. The review was requested by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis, according to the DOJ.

☆ Memphis to release more video, audio in beating death of Tyre Nichols
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 8 (Reuters) - Memphis was expected on Wednesday to release more than 20 hours of additional video and audio footage related to the killing of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man who was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop in January. The city will also release records regarding the completed administrative investigations into the killing of the 29-year-old, she said. Nichols' death led the city council to approve a series of police reforms on Tuesday, including the creation of an annual review of training techniques. One video showed officers dragging Nichols from the driver's seat of his car before he runs away. Three members of Memphis Fire Department were also fired and one was suspended, Sink said on Tuesday.

Police officers involved in the deaths have become an intense focus of investigation, protest, and media coverage. Despite being at the heart of some of the most defining incidents in modern policing, most of the officers involved continue to live their lives under the radar. Insider's review of 72 cops involved in two dozen of the most notorious police killings of the past 30 years shows the many different paths officers have taken. There's no nationwide view into what happens to officers involved in egregious incidents of violence. In rare cases, cops involved in these killings have tried to publicly rehabilitate their image rather than seek out anonymity.

☆ Attorney Ben Crump denies rumors that Tyre Nichols' beating was fueled by an officer's personal grudge against him
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Attorney Ben Crump denies rumors that the beating of Tyre Nichols was fueled by an officer's grudge. Rumors on social media about pre-existing animosity between the men have harmed Nichols' family, he said. After the arraignment, Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, told reporters that the rumor is "bogus." He said they had nothing to do with the "rumors that are out there in the social media world." "The family is dealing with enough, outside of these rumors," Crump added while speaking from the steps of the city's Criminal Justice Complex.

☆ 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 police officers who beat Tyre Nichols attacked Black veteran 3 days earlier, lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Memphis man alleges in a federal lawsuit that the cops who beat Tyre Nichols attacked him, too. Three days before Nichols' beating, he was also beaten by the SCORPION unit officers, the suit says. "Unknown to Mr. Harris at the time – the black masked assailants were members of the Scorpion Unit." "Mr. Harris had great difficulty walking because his left leg was gashed from the assault," the suit alleges. "But for witnesses coming outside to observe after hearing Mr. Harris' loud screams, Mr. Harris would likely have suffered the same fate as Mr.

☆ 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.

☆ 2 EMTs had their licenses suspended for failing to give critical care to Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by police
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Tennessee medical board suspended two EMTs for failing to provide life-saving medical care to Tyre Nichols. The Memphis Fire Department had already fired the EMTs, as well as a lieutenant, earlier this week. Tyre Nichols died in the hospital three days after being beaten by five Memphis police officers now charged with murder. The Tennessean reported that the medical board watched a 19-minute video showing the EMTs pacing and standing around while Nichols collapsed and writhed on the ground. Attorneys for Nichols' family have said an independent autopsy indicated that Nichols died from "extensive bleeding" after the beating.

☆ Two years before beating Tyre Nichols, a Memphis police officer didn't report that a colleague ripped a woman out of her car and dislocated her shoulder just for laughing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Narimes Parakul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Memphis officer Demetrius Haley came under fire two years before beating Tyre Nichols. In Feb. 2021, Haley was on the scene when another officer ripped a woman from her car. Despite seeing the officer dislocating the woman's shoulder, he didn't write a use of force report. In addition to the use of force incident, Haley's disciplinary records include a traffic violation in which he struck a stop sign with his cruiser. "She stated the department needs several more officers like Haley," the January 2021 hearing report says.

☆ A 6th Memphis police officer was taken off the force over Tyre Nichols' death. But he'll still be paid while his role is investigated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Ashley Collman | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Officer Preston Hemphill has been placed on paid leave in connection to the fatal arrest of Tyre Nichols. He is the sixth Memphis police officer to be taken off the force following Nichols' death. Officer Preston Hemphill is now on paid administrative leave "pending the outcome of the investigation," a spokesman for the Memphis Police Department told Insider. Lee Gerald, an attorney representing Hemphill, told Insider that his client "was the third officer at the inital stop of Mr. On Friday, officials released video of Nichols' arrest, which shows him being tased, pepper sprayed, and punched multiple times.

☆ Demonstrations, calls for police reforms flood Memphis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Deon J. Hampton Is A National Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, fueled by newly released body camera footage showing the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers, demanded justice, accountability and police reform Saturday afternoon. “We’re used to having issues with police in this city.”Body camera footage of Nichols being savagely beaten by Memphis officers on Jan. 7 was released Friday night, igniting protests across the U.S. For Memphis demonstrator Joshua Lewis, 18, he said he wasn’t surprised by the actions of the officers who were caught on camera beating Nichols. “It angered me to see the video of Tyre but this is normal (in Memphis) and I feel that it’s time for a change. “The corruption of the Memphis police and the death of Tyre Nichols, we’re just tired altogether.

Towns said the lawmakers could have until early spring, otherwise, to develop and fine tune any proposals that emerge from Nichols' death. Share this -Link copiedMemphis police’s vaunted Scorpion unit is deactivated after Tyre Nichols' death Memphis police’s vaunted Scorpion unit has been permanently deactivated. Share this -Link copiedNFL calls for change after 'senseless death' of Tyre Nichols A day after the release of video showing the police beating of Tyre Nichols, the NFL on Saturday condemned the violence. Demonstrations continued Saturday in Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte following the release of video footage showing five former Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols, who died on Jan. 10. Attorney Blake Ballin’s comments follow the release of video footage showing the officers punching and kicking Tyre Nichols during a Jan. 7 traffic stop.

☆ Memphis disbands police unit after fatal beating as protesters take to streets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The specialized police unit that included the five Memphis officers charged with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols was disbanded on Saturday as more protests took place in U.S. cities a day after harrowing video of the attack was released. The police department said in a statement it was permanently deactivating the SCORPION unit after the police chief spoke with members of Nichols' family, community leaders and other officers. Five officers involved in the beating, all Black, were charged on Thursday with murder, assault, kidnapping and other charges. Nichols' family and officials expressed outrage and sorrow but urged protesters to remain peaceful. In Memphis, protesters chanting, "Whose streets?

Crump said he and the Nichols family had spoken with President Joe Biden on Friday and urged him to use Nichols' death to galvanize support for the act's passage. Nichols' mother was coping with her son's death by believing he was destined to change the world, Crump said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Nichols' death is the latest high-profile example of police using excessive force against Black people and other minorities. Crump said Nichols' death should finally prompt lawmakers to act. The officers were charged on Thursday with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and oppression in Nichols' death and dismissed from the department.

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