Five Memphis Officers Involved in Beating Death of Tyre Nichols Charged With Murder

The five Memphis police officers involved in the beating death of Tyre Nichols have been booked into Shelby County Jail.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith have been since fired from the department.

Thursday, court records showed that the former officers had been booked into the county jail facing a number of charges.

The charges include the following:

Justin Smith – Two counts of official misconduct, official oppression, second-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Tadarrius Bean – Second- degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconducts and official oppression.
Demetrius Haley – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Emmitt Martin III – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.
Desmond Mills Jr. – Second degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.

“The Memphis Police Department has concluded its administrative investigation into the tragic death of Mr. Tyre Nichols. After a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we have determined that five (5) MPD officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid,” the department said in a statement Thursday.

Memphis Tennesse police chief announced on Wednesday that five officers terminated last week “were found to be directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols.”

The body camera footage of the stop is expected to be made public in the coming days.

“I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels,” Police Chief C.J. Davis said. “I expect you to feel outraged in the disregard of basic human rights, as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.”

Davis is urging people to protest peacefully and promised to review the department’s specialized unit to ensure they’re following protocol.

According to attorneys for the Nichols family, some officers involved in the stop were driving unmarked vehicles and belonged to the department’s organized crime unit.

“The citizens of Memphis, and more importantly, the family of Mr. Nichols deserve to know the complete account of the events leading up to his death and what may have contributed to it,” said Lt. Essica Cage-Rosario.

On Monday, a department official said that an internal inquiry into Nichols’ death resulted in the “relief of duty” of two Memphis Fire Department employees allegedly involved in his “initial patient care.”