Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by five former Memphis Police Department officers, and all five have been charged with murder and other crimes. The following people have been detained and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and one count of official oppression: Taddarius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, and Desmond Mills Jr.
The city’s police chief, Cerelyn Davis, described their actions as “a failing of basic humanity.”
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The officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were arrested on charges including second-degree murder. “The actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible,” the Shelby County district attorney, Steven J. Mulroy, said. All five officers, who are Black, were fired last week.
A lawyer for Mr. Tyre Nichols’s family said the family was encouraged by the charges. “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,” the lawyer, Ben Crump, said in a statement.