Tyre Nichols – updates: Memphis fire staff fired and 7th officer ousted after horror dashcam video released

The Memphis Police Department announced a seventh unidentified officer was being put on administrative leave in connection to the beating of Tyre Nichols, as well as two members of the city’s fire department.

Lee Gerald, an attorney for Preston Hemphill, the sixth officer to be suspended, confirmed to reporters that his client was the third officer at Nichols’ initial traffic stop.

“As per departmental regulations Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam,” Mr Gerald said in a statement. “He was never present at the second scene. He is cooperating with officials in this investigation.”

An EMT and ambulance driver responding to Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by police were also fired, according to the Memphis Fire Department.

EMT-Basic Robert Long, EMT-Advanced JaMichael Sandrige, and driver, Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker have reportedly been terminated, per the department’s chief Gina Sweat

Mr Nichols’s parents – RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – have accepted an invitation from the Congressional Black Caucus to attend Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week.

Chairperson of the caucus, Steven Horsford, said he spoke with Nichols’ parents “to first extend our condolences to them, to let them know that we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us at this moment”.

Mr Horsford said that he was hoping to also arrange a meeting between the president and Nichols’ family.

Nichols, 29, was pulled over for a traffic stop in Memphis on 7 January. He died three days later in hospital.

Five officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith – were fired by Memphis Police Department and charged with murder.

Footage of the fatal encounter was finally released on Friday, capturing Nichols being punched, kicked and beaten with batons.

However, the footage leaves some questions still unanswered including why the officers carried out a traffic stop on Nichols’ car in the first place.

Key points

• Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union

• Trump speaks out on Tyre Nichols killing: ‘Never should have happened’

• Tyre Nichols: Video of Black man being beaten by Memphis police is released

• Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

• Tyre Nichols’ mother reveals police blocked her from seeing her dying son in hospital

• Tyre Nichols suffered ‘extensive bleeding,’ autopsy shows

Memphis police accused of ‘shielding’ white officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating

05:57 , Shweta Sharma

The only known white officer involved in the brutal beating and subsequent death of Tyre Nichols was “shielded and protected” by Memphis Police Department, attorneys for the family said.

Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers who are defending the Nichols family, denounced the Memphis police for allegedly giving special treatment to a white official by placing him on leave despite his involvement.

“The news today from Memphis officials that officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago, but not yet terminated or charged is extremely disappointing,” they said in a joint statement.

Memphis police accused of ‘shielding’ white officer involved in Tyre Nichols beating

Daughter of Black man killed by police in 2014 says Tyre Nichols’ death echoes what happened to father

04:59 , Graig Graziosi

The daughter of a Black man killed by police back in 2014 has said that Tyre Nichols’ death echoes what happened to her own father.

Emerald Garner, whose father was choked to death by a police officer in New York in 2014, spoke to NewsNation on Friday following the release of the footage of Nichols’ brutal beating at the hands of law enforcement in Memphis earlier this month.

“It’s a replay of what happened eight years ago, almost nine.... to my father,” she said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Ms Garner pointed out differences in the handling of the two cases.

Memphis officials fired the five officers and charged them with Nichols’ murder while NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo was not charged and stayed on the force until 2019.

“If we would have had that in 2014, would there have been a Tyre Nichols today? I don’t think so,” she said.

ICYMI: Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union

04:00 , Graig Graziosi

The parents of Tyre Nichols will attend Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, according to reports.

After accepting an invitation from the Congressional Black Caucus, Nichols’s mother and father – RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – will attend the president’s address.

Chairperson of the caucus, Steven Horsford, said he spoke with Nichols’ parents “to first extend our condolences to them, to let them know that we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us at this moment”.

Read the full story here:

Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union

Just like George Floyd, Tyre Nichols called out for mother during violent police arrest

03:00 , Graig Graziosi

Tyre Nichols is seen calling out for his mother after being pursued, punched and pepper-sprayed by police in Memphis newly released video.

They are later seen bragging about punching him, in footage packed with expletives.

“I was hitting him with straight haymakers, dog” says one officer.

Another is heard to say: “I jumped in, started rocking him.”

Andrew Buncombe has the story.

Tyre Nichols cries out for his mother in video of deadly beating by Memphis police

Tyre Nichols six-word plea revealed as distressing footage lays bare Memphis police brutality

02:00 , Graig Graziosi

Memphis officials have released disturbing police footage of the arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died in hospital three days after being violently detained during a traffic stop earlier this month.

Family members, city leaders, and activists harshly criticised the conduct of the officers shown in the footage, five of whom have been fired and charged with murder.

The first part of the hour-long video showed the officers pulling over the young man, forcing him out of the vehicle and onto the floor.

One of them is heard to say: “B**ch put your hands behind your back before I break them.” An officer then threatens Nichols that “I’m going to knock your ass the f**k out.”

Read the full story by Josh Marcus and Graeme Massie here:

Footage reveals Tyre Nichols six-word plea to Memphis police officers

Eric Garner’s daughter hits out at Memphis officials’ release of Tyre Nichols’ footage

01:00 , Graig Graziosi

The daughter of Eric Garner has hit out at Memphis officials over the release of the footage of Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating at the hands of law enforcement.

Emerald Garner told NewsNation that the footage was shared like “a premiere of the movie”, saying that law enforcement’s handling of the video was another example of “just how they do things”.

“The fact that we waited for this video to be released like it was an exclusive movie that needed to be premiered on a certain day, it really boils my blood. It’s just heart-wrenching,” she said.

She added: “Tonight was a direct show of just how they do things. You held the video. Why? Why couldn’t the family get their closure at the moment that they needed it? It had to be controlled by this system.

“You held it like it was a premiere of a movie that needed to be watched by the world – a public lynching.”

Ms Garner, whose father was killed by police in New York in 2014, spoke out hours after the footage of Nichols’ deadly arrest was released to the public.

ICYMI: Trump speaks out on Tyre Nichols killing: ‘Never should have happened’

00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Former president made comments at a campaign event in South Carolina.

Trump says Tyre Nichols killing ‘Never should have happened’

Memphis Fire Department members fired over Tyre Nichols response

Monday 30 January 2023 23:17 , Graig Graziosi

An EMT and ambulance driver responding to Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by police have been fired, according to the Memphis Fire Department.

EMT-Basic Robert Long, EMT-Advanced JaMichael Sandrige, and driver, Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker have reportedly been terminated, per the department’s chief Gina Sweat.

“Our investigation has concluded that the two EMTs responded based on the initial nature of the call [person pepper sprayed] and information they were told on the scene and failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment of Mr Nichols. After their initial interaction with Mr Nichols, they requested an ambulance to respond. Emergency Unit 28 was dispatched at 8:46 p.m., arrived on the scene at 8:55 p.m., initiated patient care, and transported Mr Nichols to St. Francis Hospital at 9:08 p.m.,” Ms Sweat said in a news release.

Tyre Nichols: What is notorious Memphis police SCORPION unit accused in killing of unarmed black man?

Monday 30 January 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

The specialised police unit which the five Memphis police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols were part of was established with the intention of stopping serious crimes.

But now, the very future of the unit, known as SCORPION or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, is in question as lawyers and community activists call for its wholesale overhaul.

The unit, consisting of 40 officers, was set up in October 2021 and received a high-profile launch. The officers were to be split into four teams and focus on car theft, gang-related offences, and drug crimes.

Read the full story by Andrew Buncombe here:

What’s the police SCORPION unit accused in killing of Tyre Nichols?

Voices: Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the whole truth

Monday 30 January 2023 22:11 , Graig Graziosi

Police are partisan actors just like everyone else in power. It’s vital to take their claims with a grain of salt, writes Josh Marcus:

Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices

Four videos, 56 minutes, seven Memphis police officers, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows

Monday 30 January 2023 21:00 , Graig Graziosi

The release of footage of the fatal assault of Tyre Nichols graphically depicted the prolonged and savage fatal beating that was meted out by five Memphis Police Department officers.

But questions persist that the edited footage failed to answer, most notably the claimed traffic violation that had led officers to pull Nichols over in the first place, and what caused the officers to respond so violently.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has more in his story:

Four videos, 56 minutes, one deadly arrest: What the Tyre Nichols footage shows

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan says ‘no law’ could stop the ‘evil’ in Tyre Nichols police bodycam footage

Monday 30 January 2023 20:07 , Graig Graziosi

Conservative Congressman Jim Jordan told NBC News’ Meet the Press that he was unsure if any law could stop the “evil” on display in the police bodycam footage showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by officers.

“I don’t know that there’s any law that can stop that evil that we saw,” he said on the program.

He then accused Democrats of trying to use legislation to solve issues like systemic police abuse.

“The Democrats always think that it’s a new law that’s going to fix something that terrible,” he said.

Attorney representing Tyre Nichols attorney asks why it took so long to identify sixth officer involved in police beating

Monday 30 January 2023 19:27 , Graig Graziosi

Ben Crump, the attorney representing Tyre Nichols’ family, crticised the Memphis Police Department after it was announced that a sixth officer, Preston Hemphill, was being relieved from duty in connection to Mr Nichols’ beating at the hands of police.

“Why did it take so long for Memphis officials to reveal Ofc. Preston Hemphill’s identity and that he was reportedly relieved of duty weeks ago but not yet terminated or charged?” he wrote on Twitter. “Why was the white officer involved in the brutal attack of #TyreNichols shielded and protected?”

Congressional Black Caucus pushes Biden to restart police reform talks

Monday 30 January 2023 19:00 , Graig Graziosi

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have asked President Joe Biden for a meeting to press him on restarting stalled talks on police reform legislation, in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers.

Representative Steven Horsford, the Nevada congressman who serves as chair of the CBC, said in a statement on Sunday that the caucus is asking for a sit-down with Mr Biden “to push for negotiations on much needed national reforms to our justice system - specifically, the actions and conduct of our law enforcement”.

Mr Horsford said Mr Nichols’ death, which was captured on disturbing video showing him being beaten and kicked by a group of officers who are now facing murder charges, is “a grim reminder that we still have a long way to go in solving systemic police violence in America”.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg has more in his story:

Congressional Black Caucus pushes Biden to restart police reform talks

Sixth officer suspended in Tyre Nichols confirmed to have fired stun gun during encounter

Monday 30 January 2023 18:34 , Graig Graziosi

Preston Hemphill, the sixth Memphis police officer to face disciplinary action in the beating of Tyre Nichols, reportedly fired a stun gun at Mr Nichols the night of the encounter that preceded his death.

The Memphis Police Department announced that Mr Hemphill had been placed on administrative leave in connection with the encounter.

He was the officer who fired a stun gun at Mr Nichols when he tried to escape from the police who had pulled him over, according to ABC 7.

Appalling video exposed Memphis police brutally beating Tyre Nichols. But these 8 questions remain unanswered

Monday 30 January 2023 17:52 , Graig Graziosi

The country spent the weekend reckoning with the distrubing police bodycamera footage showing Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop.

Though the incident has become more clear thanks to the footage, there are still several questions left unanswered by prosecutors and the Memphis police department.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp probes those questions in her story below...

These questions remain unanswered after video exposed police beating Tyre Nichols

Newly-suspended Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill tased Tyre Nichols during traffic stop

Monday 30 January 2023 17:15 , Graig Graziosi

Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill was reportedly the third officer on the scene of Tyre Nichols’ beating.

Mr Hemphill’s attorney, Lee Gerald, confirmed to ABC 7 that his client was the third officer at Nichols’ initial traffic stop.

“As per departmental regulations Officer Hemphill activated his bodycam,” Mr Gerald said in a statement. “He was never present at the second scene. He is cooperating with officials in this investigation.”

The officer’s bodycam footage was included with the footage released on Friday.

Sixth Memphis officer suspended

Monday 30 January 2023 16:28 , Graig Graziosi

A sixth Memphis police officer has reportedly been suspended from the department in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols.

A department spokesperson speaking to Fox13 Memphis said officer Preston Hemphill has been relieved of duty.

The spokesperson did not provide details on how Mr Hemphill’s release is related to Mr Nichols.

Neighbors and visitors begin makeshift memorial in neighborhood where Tyre Nichols was beaten by Memphis police

Monday 30 January 2023 15:45 , Graig Graziosi

A makeshift memorial to Tyre Nichols has been formed in the neighborhood where five Memphis police officers allegedly beat him, leaving him with injuried that would ultimately prove fatal.

Neighbors and visitors have left balloons, flowers, and stuffed animals at the site in memory of Mr Nichols.

Memphis police gave Tyre Nichols 71 commands over the course of 13 minutes, analysis claims

Monday 30 January 2023 15:15 , Graig Graziosi

A video analysis conducted by The New York Times found that Memphis police officers gave Tyre Nichols 71 commands over the course of 13 minutes after they stopped his vehicle.

As noted by the analysis, some of the commands given to Mr Nichols were confusing and contradictory. In other instances the officers demanded Mr Nichols comply with demands that he already had complied with, such as “getting on the ground” while he was already on the ground.

The bodycam footage of the arrest appears to show Memphis officers using Mr Nichols inability to follow the string of vague and sometimes impossible commands to justify escalating their response tactics.

Skatepark vigil planned for Tyre Nichols in Sacramento

Monday 30 January 2023 15:00 , Graig Graziosi

A skatepark in Sacramento that Tyre Nichols visited regularly said it planned to hold a vigil for him at 6:30pm PST.

Mr Nichols was a regular at the park before he moved to Memphis in 2020.

Niko Chapman, who grew up in the area, remembered Mr Nichols fondly. He recalled to Fox 2 how, when he was younger, his parents would only let him visit the skatepark if they knew Mr Nichols was there to help look out for him.

“You remember people that are really kind to you, and Tyre was just a really kind person,” Mr Chapman said. “He just always made me feel really welcome.”

Daughter of Black man killed by police in 2014 says Tyre Nichols’ death echoes what happened to father

Monday 30 January 2023 14:30 , Rachel Sharp

The daughter of a Black man killed by police back in 2014 has said that Tyre Nichols’ death echoes what happened to her own father.

Emerald Garner, whose father was choked to death by a police officer in New York in 2014, spoke to NewsNation on Friday following the release of the footage of Nichols’ brutal beating at the hands of law enforcement in Memphis earlier this month.

“It’s a replay of what happened eight years ago, almost nine.... to my father,” she said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Ms Garner pointed out differences in the handling of the two cases.

Memphis officials fired the five officers and charged them with Nichols’ murder while NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo was not charged and stayed on the force until 2019.

“If we would have had that in 2014, would there have been a Tyre Nichols today? I don’t think so,” she said.

WATCH: Memphis police beat Tyre Nichols

Monday 30 January 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

On Friday, Memphis officials released footage of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols at the hands of law enforcement.

The Black man, 29, died earlier this month – three days after he was pulled over for a traffic stop and punched, kicked and beaten with batons by a group of police officers.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith were fired from Memphis Police Department and charged with murder.

Watch part of the footage from the fatal beating below:

Eric Garner’s daughter hits out at Memphis officials’ release of Tyre Nichols’ footage

Monday 30 January 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

The daughter of Eric Garner has hit out at Memphis officials over the release of the footage of Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating at the hands of law enforcement.

Emerald Garner told NewsNation that the footage was shared like “a premiere of the movie”, saying that law enforcement’s handling of the video was another example of “just how they do things”.

“The fact that we waited for this video to be released like it was an exclusive movie that needed to be premiered on a certain day, it really boils my blood. It’s just heart-wrenching,” she said.

She added: “Tonight was a direct show of just how they do things. You held the video. Why? Why couldn’t the family get their closure at the moment that they needed it? It had to be controlled by this system.

“You held it like it was a premiere of a movie that needed to be watched by the world – a public lynching.”

Ms Garner, whose father was killed by police in New York in 2014, spoke out hours after the footage of Nichols’ deadly arrest was released to the public.

Attorney Ben Crump calls for federal reform to end police brutality

Monday 30 January 2023 13:03 , Graeme Massie

Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union

Monday 30 January 2023 12:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The parents of Tyre Nichols will attend Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, according to reports.

After accepting an invitation from the Congressional Black Caucus, Nichols’s mother and father – RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – will attend the president’s address.

Chairperson of the caucus, Steven Horsford, said he spoke with Nichols’ parents “to first extend our condolences to them, to let them know that we stand with them, to ask them what they want from us at this moment”.

Read the full story here:

Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union

Trump speaks out on Tyre Nichols killing: ‘Never should have happened’

Monday 30 January 2023 12:08 , Graeme Massie

Former president made comments at a campaign event in South Carolina.

Trump says Tyre Nichols killing ‘Never should have happened’

Tyre Nichols: What is notorious Memphis police SCORPION unit accused in killing of unarmed black man?

Monday 30 January 2023 11:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The specialised police unit which the five Memphis police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols were part of was established with the intention of stopping serious crimes.

But now, the very future of the unit, known as SCORPION or Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, is in question as lawyers and community activists call for its wholesale overhaul.

The unit, consisting of 40 officers, was set up in October 2021 and received a high-profile launch. The officers were to be split into four teams and focus on car theft, gang-related offences, and drug crimes.

Read the full story by Andrew Buncombe here:

What’s the police SCORPION unit accused in killing of Tyre Nichols?

Nichols family did not know sheriffs deputies were at scene

Monday 30 January 2023 11:05 , Graeme Massie

The family of Tyre Nichols did not know there were two members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at the scene where the fatal beating took place, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

“This was the first they heard of it,” Mr Crump told CNN on Saturday.

Two sheriff’s deputies in Shelby County, Tennessee, who responded to the scene of the fatal arrest of Tyre Nichols have been “relieved of duty” following the release of video of the incident.

“Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr, said in a Friday night statement.

Sheriff Bonner says an internal investigation is underway into their conduct.

Voices: Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the whole truth

Monday 30 January 2023 10:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Police are partisan actors just like everyone else in power. It’s vital to take their claims with a grain of salt, writes Josh Marcus:

Tyre Nichols’ death shows us the police are not always telling the truth | Voices

Tyre Nichols video: Memphis leaders discuss release of body cam footage in beating death

Monday 30 January 2023 10:02 , Graeme Massie