Five former Memphis police officers were this week charged with murder and kidnapping following the death of Tyre Nichols, who died during a traffic stop.
Nichols, a Black man, had been stopped by five Black police officers on his way home, with an attorney for his family stating that he'd been out to take photographs of a sunset on January 7, per BBC News.
However, officials had accused the 29-year-old of reckless driving. Several confrontations ensued following the traffic stop, with authorities claiming that Nichols had attempted to flee on foot when officers approached his car. A second confrontation occurred when officers attempted to arrest him.
Nichols had complained of shortness of breath before an ambulance arrived on the scene to take him to hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, CNN detailed.
Three days after the arrest on January 10, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced in a statement that Nichols had died following injuries sustained in the "use-of-force incident with officers."
All five officers involved were relieved of their duty and, on January 15, Chief Davis of the Shelby County District Attorney's Office said in a statement: "Due to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols, it was important to take swift and deliberate action to maintain transparency, accountability, public trust, and legitimacy amongst our community.
"The Memphis Police Department (MPD) enlisted the assistance of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office to conduct an independent investigation into the use of force by Memphis police officers [...] After reviewing various sources of information involving this incident, I have found that it is necessary to take immediate and appropriate action. Today, the department is serving notice to the officers involved of the impending administrative actions," it continued.
"The egregious nature of this incident is not a reflection of the good work our officers perform, with integrity every day [...] Aside from being your chief of police, I am a citizen of this community, we share; I am a mother, I am a caring human being who wants the best for all of us; this is not just a professional failing," Chief Davis added in a video statement.
On January 20, the officers involved in Nichols' death - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith - were fired as a result of their failure in "excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid," CNN revealed.
Nichols' family and attorneys were able to view the body cam footage of the incident, and they have stated that they were devastated at what they saw.
"He was defenseless the entire time. He was a human piñata for those police officers. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating of this young boy for three minutes. That is what we saw in that video. Not only was it violent, it was savage," Antonio Romanucci, the Nichols family attorney stated.
Each former officer has been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct, and one charge of official oppression for their alleged roles in the death of Nichols. A second-degree murder charge alone can carry a prison sentence of between 15 to 60 years.
