An autopsy report released Thursday revealed that Tyre Nichols died from blunt force trauma to the head after being brutally beaten by Memphis police officers in January. His death was ruled a homicide.
The Shelby County medical examiner’s report also showed Nichols sustained blunt force injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities; multiple cortical contusions; and several instances of hemorrhages throughout his body. He also sustained multiple contusions, abrasions, and bruising to his body.
In addition, Nichols suffered brain hemorrhages and liver failure.
The 29-year-old was repeatedly punched and kicked by five Memphis Police Department officers on January 7 after a traffic stop and brief foot chase. He died three days later at an area hospital.
The five officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, were eventually charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and multiple counts of official misconduct and official oppression in connection with Nichols’ death. They pleaded not guilty Feb. 17.
Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but there is no conclusive proof of a traffic violation in either publicly available documents or video footage. Furthermore, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has stated that she has not come across any evidence that justifies the actions of the officers involved in the stop or their subsequent response to the situation. As a result of Nichols’ untimely demise, Chief Davis disbanded the Scorpion unit.
A toxicology report performed on Nichols detected the presence of THC and he had a blood alcohol level of .049, well below the legal limit.
In addition to the five officers who were fired and charged, one white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop was fired. That officer won’t be charged in Nichols’ death. Another unidentified officer was also fired, while another cop retired before he could be fired.
Terminations also took place within the Memphis Fire Department. Those included three employees who were at the site of the arrest.
Nichols’ family attorney Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci released this statement following the public release of the autopsy results:
“Video of this killing stunned the world, and we are once again stunned to see it put into words by the medical examiner. Tyre suffered blunt force injuries to the head, neck, torso, and extremities by Memphis Police. The utter brutality of the deadly beating that Tyre suffered is once again highlighted in these official autopsy results – no part of this young man was spared as he was tortured to death by these officers.”
