Five former Memphis police officers were charged Tuesday with federal civil rights violations in the beating death of Tyre Nichols as they continue to fight second-degree murder charges in state courts arising from the killing.
via: BET
The ex-officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. – face several charges, including deprivation of rights, the use of excessive force and conspiracy to witness-tamper.
Shocking police bodycam video shows several officers pulling Nichols, 29, from his vehicle during a Jan. 7 traffic stop for alleged reckless driving and brutally beating him for no apparent reason. Nichols, the father of a 4-year-old son, died three days later in a hospital. According to authorities, the traffic stop led to a “confrontation” and Nichols fled the scene on foot as he was pursued by police.
In a separate state prosecution, the officers pleaded not guilty in February to second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
In July, the Justice Department launched a pattern or practice investigation of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department to determine whether the police systemically uses excessive force and discriminates against Black residents.
