![]() ![]() A public report with its findings and recommendations will follow. The review will cover "policies, practices, training, data and processes related to MPD's use of force, de-escalation and specialized units," the DOJ said in an announcement Wednesday. Department of Justice announced it would review the Memphis Police Department's use of force and de-escalation policies, following a request by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. Internal charges against the remaining two were dropped. Another five have been suspended, and one retired before a hearing could be conducted. In addition to the five SCORPION unit officers, another two officers have been fired, city officials said this week. In total, 13 Memphis police officers were subject to the administrative investigation by city officials, the city's chief legal officer, Jennifer Sink, said at a city council meeting Tuesday. All five former officers are Black.Įach of the five faces several felony charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. and Justin Smith, all of whom were part of a specialized unit called SCORPION, which has since been disbanded. Soon after his death, the Memphis Police Department fired five officers involved in the beating: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. ![]() ![]() He died in a hospital three days later, leaving behind a 4-year-old son. Nichols attempted to flee on foot, but officers soon caught him and beat him severely. Police claimed the traffic stop was for reckless driving documents show that officers never explained the reason for the stop to Nichols. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was stopped by Memphis police as he was driving near his home on the evening of Jan. "Our office needs to review it carefully to ensure it doesn't prejudice the defendant or jeopardize our prosecution," prosecutors said. In a statement, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office said it had supported officials' decision to release the additional video footage.īut prosecutors did not object to the delay on documents and "other material" from the administrative investigation. "Police department investigations often uncover evidence that is irrelevant, prejudicial, misleading or inadmissible." "The motion and order filed today are the result of the need to balance the interests of transparency with the defendants' right to a fair trial," said Blake Ballin, the defense lawyer who filed the motion. The records will be held until prosecutors and defense lawyers have been able to review them, the court order says. intervened to delay the planned release of the recordings and documents after a last-minute motion by a defense attorney for one of the five former officers charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death. Those recordings, along with other reports and personnel files related to an administrative investigation by Memphis city officials, had been slated to be released Wednesday.īut Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. A judge in Tennessee has blocked the release of some 20 hours of additional video and audio recordings of the beating death of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers in January. ![]()
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