Former Memphis police officers indicted on multiple federal charges including witness tampering over their involvement in Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating death

The five men, all members of the scorpion unit were seen on video beating and tasing Nichols in January

Nichols, 29, died from brain injuries after been attacked by five police officers when he was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith had previously pled not guilty to state charges of second degree murder 

Officers also initially said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving

Memphis Police director Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis who said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response disbanded the scorpion unit

Body cam footage shows Memphis PD beating and macing Tyre Nichols

Five Memphis police officers have been federally indicted Tuesday over their involvement in the brutal beating death of motorist Tyre Nichols. during a routine traffic stop, early in the year
All five officers alleged to have been involved in the death of Nichols, 29, who were fired immediately have been federally indicted, The Daily Memphian reports. 
An indictment filed in federal court on Tuesday charged the five men, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith, with excessive force, failure to intervene, deliberate indifference and witness tampering.
The five men, who all worked for Memphis police, were seen on video beating, stomping and tasing Nichols in January.
After inexplicable delay by EMTs called to the scene, the critically injured black man died five days later in hospital from brain injuries sustained by blunt force trauma to the head, having never woken up from his comatose state.
His death was formally ruled as a homicide. 

Nichols, an unarmed man, was at the receiving end of a brutal group beat down by officers of the Memphis police force after a traffic light in January. He never woke up and had to be taken off life support 

The five former officers, all Black like Nichols, pled not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder and other alleged offenses in the case.
Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

Former Memphis Police Dept, [from left, top], Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, [bottom], Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith, have been charged in the brutal and fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, that has been ruled a homicide 

The five men, who all worked for Memphis police, were seen on video beating and tasing Nichols in January

In a statement, United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee said:’ When I announced this investigation back in January, I said I wanted this city to be a place where justice is done.
‘This indictment alleging civil rights violations is an important step in ensuring that justice is done for Tyre Nichols.’ 
The five officers involved – all from the Scorpion unit – claim they were arresting Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving.
Nichols was taken to hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Body cam footage shows a group of Memphis PD beating and macing Tyre Nichols during a January traffic stop leading to his death days later

The police version is that Tyre Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving. However, no verified evidence allegations or supporting possible charges of a traffic violation has been released to in public documents or in video images.
Memphis Police director Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response.
She disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she created in November 2021, after Nichols’ death.

Comatose Nichols was taken to hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived. He never recovered

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said: ‘Tyre Nichols should be alive today. It is tragic to see a life cut short at 29, with so many milestones unmet, so many words unsaid, so much potential unfulfilled. 
‘These federal charges reflect the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting the constitutional and civil rights of every American and preserving the integrity of the criminal justice system. 
‘We stand ready to hold law enforcement officers accountable for their misconduct because no one is above the law in our country.’

Memphis police officers [L-R], Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith are the Memphis Police officers were all terminated in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols

Two of the charges in the federal indictment carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, with the other two carrying a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.
All five men also face criminal court charges in Shelby County for second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and official oppression.  

Bodycam shows Tyre Nichols being tased by Memphis PD. Hes later died of brain injuries sustained by blunt force trauma to the head, and his death was formally ruled as a homicide. 

The shocking video of Nichols’ beating showed the officers savagely attacking the FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him in an assault that the Nichols family legal team has likened to the ground shifting 1991 police beating of motorist Rodney King in  Los Angeles. 
In the video, the officers can be heard saying that Nichols was ‘high as a kite.’  – The medical examiner’s report, actually states that Nichols had only trace amounts of marijuana in his system

Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said at the time of the release of the video that the family would ‘continue to seek justice,’ noting that several other officers failed to render aid, making them ‘just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows.’ 

The shocking video saw Nichols calling out for his mother before his limp body was propped against a squad car and the officers exchange fist-bumps.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said at the time of the release of the video that the family would ‘continue to seek justice,’ noting that several other officers failed to render aid, making them ‘just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows.’ 
The arrest was made by the so-called Scorpion unit, which has three teams of about 30 street officers who target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime. The unit has since been disbanded.

An indictment filed in federal court on Tuesday charged the five men with four charges – excessive force, failure to intervene, deliberate indifference and witness tampering

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video images

An officer in the video accused Nichols of swerving as if he intended to hit an officer’s car. 
The officer said that when Nichols pulled up to a red light, the officers jumped out of the car.
‘We tried to get him to stop,’ the officer sad. ‘He didn’t stop.’
Officers also initially said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, but there has been no evidence to back up those claims. 
After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of a car, Nichols can be heard saying, ‘I didn’t do anything,’ as a group of officers begins to wrestle him to the ground.