In a recent trial in Tennessee, judges determined that three former officers from the Memphis Police Department (MPD) were not guilty of charges related to the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were acquitted of multiple charges, which included two counts of murder, aggravated assault, along with two counts of official misconduct and formal repression, as reported by ABC24 News.
The judgment followed approximately nine hours of jury deliberation.
Back in January 2023, five former MPD officers, including Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, along with Bean, Haley, and Smith, faced charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and others.
Earlier reports indicated that the officers were charged shortly after Nichols’ death on January 10. He had been stopped for alleged “reckless driving,” and during this encounter, several altercations occurred before Nichols was taken to St. Francis Hospital.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died on January 10, just three days after being stopped by police for “reckless driving.”
Initial statements from authorities noted that a “conflict broke out” during the stop around 8:30 PM on January 7.
There were indications that another altercation occurred as officers attempted to detain Nichols.
Released video footage showed officers demanding Nichols exit his car, along with moments of the officers yelling at him.
The footage displays an officer parking behind Nichols’ vehicle, exiting, and instructing Nichols to exit while loudly demanding compliance.
“I did nothing,” Nichols is heard saying as officers pulled him from the car. He calmly requested them to “stop it.”
Further footage depicted Nichols seemingly “resisting” while on the ground, which led one officer to use pepper spray.
Another video captured a subsequent altercation where one officer was seen punching Nichols multiple times.
In one clip, a further “interrogation” unfolded at a different intersection, where officers were seen striking Nichols repeatedly.
After deploying the pepper spray, one officer commented, “Be careful, I’m the baton.”
“Stop out our hand,” he yelled as Nichols appeared injured.
According to ABC24 News, while Bean, Haley, and Smith were acquitted, both Martin and Desmond pleaded guilty to federal charges and are expected to testify at a federal trial in 2024.
