Tyre Nichols Death Gets Shocking Development

A sixth Memphis police officer was relieved from duty amid shocking developments related to the death of Tyre Nichols. He was arrested for reckless driving and later lost his life due to injuries he sustained from the encounter with law enforcement personnel.

Now, widespread protests urging for justice come as many are demanding more criminal charges against police officers involved, and there are calls for nationwide police reform. In a statement on Monday, Memphis police Maj. Karen Rudolph said that the sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, was relieved of duty along with the other personnel.

Sixth Officer Involved in Tyre Nichols' Death

Separately, Memphis police spokesperson Kimberly Elder said that Hemphill had been placed on administrative leave since the beginning of the investigation into Nichols' death. However, she declined to say if the officer was being paid or if other officers were placed on leave.

Thanks to body camera footage, it was found that Hemphill used a taser stun gun on the victim while being heard saying, "One of them prongs hit the bastard." Afterward, the officer could be heard telling one of his colleagues at the scene, "I hope they stomp his ass," as per CNN.

The other five police officers have already been fired and charged with criminal activity, including second-degree murder in relation to the beating death of the Black man. On the other hand, Hemphill has not been charged because his attorney, Lee Gerald, said he was not present at the scene of the second part of the incident, which escalated into a beating of Nichols.

Meanwhile, attorneys representing Nichols' family have begun to wonder why authorities were quick to fire five Black police officers and charge them with murder but stayed relatively quiet about Hemphill, who is white, and his involvement in the encounter.

In a Monday statement, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing the victim's family, questioned why it had taken so long for Hemphill's role in the incident to come to light. They said it begs the question of why the white officer was shielded and protected from the public eye.

Ongoing Investigation

Gerald said that under departmental regulations, Hemphill activated his body cam but was never present at the second scene and was cooperating with officials in the investigation. On the other hand, Nichols' stepfather, Rodney Wells, said on Friday that every active police officer in the case should be charged, according to ABC News.

Steve Mulroy, the Shelby County district attorney, said that the investigation is still ongoing and noted that more charges could be filed in the near future. The DA's office said that they were looking at all the people involved in the incident leading up to, during, and after the beating of Nichols.

The five other police officers involved in the death of Nichols were previously identified as; Tarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, and Desmond Mills Jr. They have all been charged with one count of second-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault-acting in concert, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of misconduct, and one count of official oppression, said NPR.