US: Five former Memphis police officers charged with murder in Tyre Nichols’ death

Five sackedMemphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder and other crimes on Thursday (January 26) in connection with thearrest and death of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died on January 10, 2023,three days after an altercation with Memphis police officers during a traffic check.

Online records from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office reveal that the Black police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith were all in custody. The five former officersare each facing charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression.

Smith, Bean, or Haley's attorneys are not listed in court documents. William Massey, Martin's attorney, acknowledged that his client had surrendered. He said that he and Mills' attorney, Blake Ballin, intended to discuss the accusations in a news conference later on Thursday (January 26).

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Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years behind barsunder Tennessee law.

Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, who spoke to The Associated Press over the phone said that he and his wife RowVaughn Wells, who is Nichols’ mother, discussed the second-degree murder charges at length and are “fine with it.”

“There’s other charges, so I’m all right with that,” he said.

Attorneys for the family Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci released a statement praising the charges.

“The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre,” they wrote. “This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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