'Numerous' internal charges for officers pending, Memphis police say
The total of officers officially relieved from duty or charged in the death of Tyre Nichols has officially risen to seven, and the number could continue rising, according to Memphis police.
Memphis police confirmed Monday that on Jan. 8, 2023, the day after police brutally beat Nichols after pulling him over, seven officers were relieved of duty. Initially, the public learned of five only officers who were fired for their conduct.
Once footage from the night Nichols was pulled over was released, it became clear other officers beyond the five charged with second-degree murder were involved. The footage was released Friday; on Monday, MPD released information expanding upon other potential internal charges and officially identified a sixth officer involved in the fatal encounter, Preston Hemphill.
The seventh officer relieved of duty has not been identified. That officer has not been charged. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy has not ruled out the possibility of others facing charges.
The police department’ internal affairs unit has interviewed more than 30 internal and external parties, according to a news release from the department Monday.
“There are numerous charges still developing that are impending,” the release said. “As stated in earlier updates, the Memphis Police Department remains committed to transparency in this tragedy, however, we must ensure a complete and thorough investigation of all officers is conducted.”
The department expects “the next phase of personnel actions in the coming days.”
Nichols died on Jan. 10, just three days after the traffic stop.
What Hemphill's footage shows
The general public became aware of Hemphill's involvement only after footage from the encounter was released Friday. The other five officers, all of whom are Black, were charged in Nichols' death before the footage release.
Initially, Hemphill's identity was not known. His body camera footage was released Friday along with three other footage sources, and the public could see that a white officer was also involved, which was not "officially" known at the time the footage was released.
Hemphill's attorney confirmed he was the third officer at the initial stop, and the footage from "video 1" was pulled from Hemphill's body-worn camera.
In the body-camera footage from Hemphill, he can be seen approaching Nichols with what appears to be his gun drawn. Multiple officers pull Nichols out of the car and began screaming at Nichols to "get on the ground."
Nichols is initially on his hands and knees, and then pivots to sit as officers continue to scream commands.
As Nichols is pushed down, Hemphill is seen placing his Taser against Nichols leg. Nichols then breaks free from the officers and flees. Hemphill fires his Taser at Nichols; Nichols appears to quickly remove the prong before continuing to run.
Hemphill starts to take after him but stops after a short distance. Breathing heavily, he then goes to assist another officer who caught friendly-fire pepper spray in his eyes.
A few minutes later, Hemphill can be heard saying, "I hope they stomp his ass."
The seventh officer’s identity has not been released, but the “actions and inactions” of Hemphill and the seventh officer “have been and continue to be the subject of this investigation since its inception on January 8, 2023.”
The announcement Monday of Hemphill's status and a seventh officer was the first acknowledgment by the department that more than just the five officers charged were disciplined after Nichols' death.
Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to access and equity. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tyre Nichols investigation: Seven Memphis officers relieved of duty in
