Five former Memphis police officers who were fired earlier this month for their behavior during the arrest of Tyre Nichols were charged Thursday on counts including murder and kidnapping, according to Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.
Mulroy stated that the former policemen Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin, and Desmond Mills Jr. were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and one count of official oppression.
Tyre Nichols Death Suspects
In Tennessee, second-degree murder is defined as the "intentional murder of another" and is a Class A felony punished by 15 to 60 years in prison.
About three weeks have passed since Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized following a traffic stop and "confrontation" with Memphis police, which family attorneys have described as a brutal assault. Authorities said that Nichols died of his injuries on January 10, three days after his arrest, as per CNN.
Thursday evening, four police officers remained in prison after being processed into the Shelby County Jail. Bond was set at $350,000 for Haley, 30, and Martin, 30, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and $250,000 for Bean, 24, and Smith, 28.
According to prison records, Mills, 32, secured a $250,000 bail Thursday evening and was freed. Blake Ballin, an attorney representing Mills, and William Massey, an attorney for Martin, stated that they had yet to view the footage of the police incident, which is likely to be presented to the public on Friday.
Ballin characterized Mills as a "respectful parent" who was "devastated" by the murder accusation. Mills, a former jailer in Mississippi and Tennessee, was posting bond Thursday to ensure his release, and his attorney said he intends to submit a not-guilty plea in court. Ballin stated that he had not discussed Nichols with Mills.
Since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter protest movement, police around the nation have been subjected to heightened scrutiny for how they treat Black people.
Due to Nichols' death, Memphis officials are preparing for potential civil upheaval and have urged peaceful demonstrations. In a statement released on Thursday, President Joe Biden described the murder as "a terrible reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to its promise of fair and impartial justice, equitable treatment, and dignity for all."
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Memphis Police Arrest Footage
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) January 23, 2023
During his Thursday briefing, District Attorney Mulroy called the situation as a tragedy and described Nichols as an "almost perfect son."
Friday after 6 p.m., Memphis time, the bodycam footage of Nichols' ultimately tragic arrest will be made public, according to Mulroy. The family of Nichols and their attorneys have viewed a police video of his arrest, but the tape has not been disclosed to the general public. Per Daily Mail, he stated that the indictment against the five cops "does not exclude" further charges.
Mulroy stated on Tuesday that state and local investigators desired to conduct as many interviews as possible before the video's release. Some activists expected the footage to be published once Nichols' family and the family's attorneys saw it on Monday.
As state and federal investigations continue, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis has pledged his department's "full and total cooperation" in determining the circumstances surrounding Nichols' death.
Crump stated that the video indicated that Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx employee, and father, was shocked, pepper-sprayed, and held during a traffic check near his residence. He was coming home after photographing the sunset at a suburban park.
The legal team alleged that cops assaulted Nichols for three minutes in a "savage" confrontation reminiscent of the 1991 police beating of Los Angeles driver Rodney King. Authorities have only stated that Nichols suffered a medical emergency, despite his claimed heart attack and renal failure. Davis stated that she anticipates a community response when the arrest footage is made public.
Several public authorities in the case pledged that the body camera footage of the arrest would be made public as soon as Nichols' family and their attorney, the famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, had a chance to study the footage privately.
Initially, officials looked to be walking back this promise. After stating on Monday morning that they had met with the Nichols family to "enable a review of video records," the Memphis Police Department stated that it was not yet ready to disclose the footage to the public.
Mulroy made a similar statement, claiming that releasing the footage may compromise the investigation and that the tape could be disclosed later this week or early next week. The impending release of the video was announced the day before five former Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nichols, The Independent reported.
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