Former cops indicted in the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols
A federal grand jury today indicted five former Black Memphis police officers for the deadly beating death of Tyre Nichols in January.
The former cops are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged the now-fired officers with excessive force and failure to intervene, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.
Police stopped Nichols on January 7 around 8:30 p.m. for reckless driving near Raines Road and Ross Road.
A fight ensued when the officers attempted to arrest Nichols. He bolted and ran from the police.
The cops caught up with him. And another fight erupted. The cops were all members of the Scorpio Unit, a special squad formed to combat violent crime.
An accosted, beaten Nichols complained he could not breathe. An ambulance was called, and Nichols was rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where he was deemed in critical condition. During the fight, he screamed for his mother.
Three days later, Nichols died. He had recently moved to Memphis from California. He had no criminal record.