Following the release of video footage showing the deadly interaction between Tire Nichols and five Memphis police officers on Friday, the attorney for Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five police officers charged with his murder, said a “thorough investigation ” of all available video angles is required before “providing context or comment”.
“Mr. Mills and I will review these videos together at the appropriate time,” attorney Blake Ballin said in a statement to NewsNation. “A thorough investigation of all available angles is needed before any context or comment is provided. My heart goes out to the Nichols family and the entire city of Memphis and we hope they all speak peacefully.”
Video appears to show officers used a stun gun on him before then punching, kicking and punching him after he tried to run.
Nichols spent three days in a hospital after the January 7 arrest before dying of his injuries on January 10.
TIRE NICHOLS VIDEO: MEMPHIS AUTHORITIES RELEASE IMAGES OF DEADLY TRAFFIC STOP
Memphis Police Department officers Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith were fired Jan. 18 for their roles in the arrest of the late Tire Nichols.
(Memphis Police Department)
Desmond and the four other officers involved in the arrest, Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith, were fired by the Memphis Police Department last week and have all been charged with second-degree murder. along with aggravated assault. aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
All of the former officers turned themselves in to state authorities on Thursday and four had posted bail by Friday morning. Haley was the last officer released, according to FOX 13 Memphis.
Bail for each former officer was set between $250,000 and $350,000.
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tire Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as cheerful and adorable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 7, 2023, when he was stopped by police and fatally beaten. Since then, five Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes.
(Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
Mills and Martin plan to plead not guilty, their lawyers said, while lawyers for the other three former officers could not be reached, according to the Associated Press.
“No one out there that night intended for Tire Nichols to die,” said Martin’s attorney, William Massey.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Thursday that all of the officers are “accountable” even though they played different roles in Nichols’ arrest.
TIRE NICHOLS’ MOTHER URGES PEACEFUL PROTESTS: ‘I DON’T WANT US TO BURN OUR CITIES down’
Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told the Associated Press that they wanted first-degree murder charges, but were “fine” with second-degree charges. “There are other charges, so I’m fine with that,” he said.
Tire Nichols can be seen after the fight, his face swollen and bloody as he sits on the ground in handcuffs, leaning with his back against a car.
(Memphis PD)
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis described the officers’ actions as “egregious, reckless and inhumane.”
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the “horrifying” nature of the video before it was released, but called for peace.
From left to right, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Tadarrius Bean.
(Shelby County Jail)
“I don’t want us to burn down our city, tear up the streets, because that’s not what my son stood for,” he said Thursday. “If you are here for me and Tire, then you will protest peacefully.”
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Second degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
