Three Former Cops Found Not Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in Tyre Nichols’ Death
Three Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols during a January 2023 traffic stop have been found not guilty of second-degree murder, NBC News reports.
Former police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith — who were previously found guilty of witness tampering but acquitted of civil rights charges following a federal trial in 2024 — also faced Tennessee state charges of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression related to Nichols’ death. They were acquitted on all counts
Two other officers, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin, previously pleaded guilty to both the state and federal charges. Those two await sentencing on both state and federal charges, while Bean, Haley, and Smith await sentencing on the federal witness tampering conviction.
“Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice. The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve. That brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted,” Nichols’ family attorney Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement after the officers were acquitted.
“Tyre’s life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone. We thank the Memphis community and people across the nation who have stood by Tyre’s family, lifted their voices, and demanded accountability. Your solidarity has been a beacon of hope in this painful journey. We remain fiercely committed to civil justice and ask for your continued support as we press forward with the civil trial and push for meaningful, lasting reforms needed to stop the cycle of police brutality.”
The five officers were members of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which typically targeted violent offenders and drug dealers. However, on Jan. 7, 2023, Nichols was pulled over by officers for reckless driving and then fled from the scene following a “confrontation” — as Memphis Police said in a statement at the time — with police approaching the vehicle.
Police pursued Nichols, leading to a second confrontation and his apprehension, during which Nichols suffered a medical emergency. After being admitted to the hospital in critical condition, Nichols died on Jan. 10. Footage of the 2023 police attack later showed the officers issuing Nichols 71 commands, many of which were impossible to carry out, such as showing them his hands when they were restrained and telling him to get on the ground when he already was.
The incident sparked another wave of protests against police brutality in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, and all five officers were fired from the Memphis Police Department in the weeks after Nichols’ death. A federal and state investigation into Nichols’ death — as well as a Justice Department investigation in the Memphis police in general — ensued, and the Scorpion Unit was disbanded.
Crump and Romanucci added, “Let this be a rallying cry: we must confront the broken systems that empowered this injustice and demand the change our nation –– and Tyre’s legacy –– deserves.”
