Tyre Nichols killing: Three former Memphis cops convicted in case

Three former police officers in the US city of Memphis were on Thursday (Oct 3) convicted in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, who was Black. However, the former copswere acquitted of the harshest charges - death penalty- that sparked national protests and called for broad changes in policing.

A report by the news agency Associated Press early Friday said that jurorsdeliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.

A look at the charges against the former police officers

All were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges, the report said.

Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury. He was also convicted of a conspiracy to witness tamper charge that the others were acquitted of.

All three former cops were ordered to be taken into custody. The judgeplanned to hold a hearing on Monday to hear from the defence lawyers about releasing them pending sentencing.

The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The civil rights charge against Haley carries up to 10 years in prison. They could havefacedlife in prison if convicted on the harshest charges.

What happened in 2023?

On January 7 last year, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was severely injured by five Black police officers. The officerskicked, punched, pepper-sprayed and struckNicholswith a baton as hecried out for his mother.

Nichols, an avid skateboarder, photographer and father of a young son, died in a hospital three days later.

All of the five officers were arrested in the case. Bean, Haley, and Justin Smith pleaded not guilty.One officer, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to federal charges of deprivation of rights and conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors on November 2, 2023.

The fifthofficer, Emmett Martin III, who initially pleaded not guilty, changed his plea to guilty on August 23 last year.

Family reacts to verdict

On Thursday, Nichol's father Rodney Wells said, "We are all elated. We're all very, very happy that these guys have been put in jail. This is a long time coming. And justice for Tyree. So we're just so very proud that all of them are going to jail today."

"I will never get my little brother back. But to see those officers held accountable for what they did and put our family through did give us some hope for the future. And maybe this won't ever happen to another family in the future. But I'm just so thankful. I was smiling when I saw them get taken away into custody.... What they did to my brother was wrong. And to see them going into custody and be held accountable was anything and everything my family could ask for," the victim's sister Keyana Dixon said.

“This has been a long journey for our family and I'm actually in shock right now because I still can't believe all this stuff is going on. But we're happy that they all have been convicted and they have been arrested,” Nichols' mother Rowvaughn Wells said.

(With inputs from agencies)