One of the five Memphis police officers accused of killing Tire Nichols allegedly punched an inmate nearly eight years ago, according to a lawsuit filed by the victim.
Cordarlrius Sledge, 34, was serving a three-year sentence for aggravated assault when he was allegedly beaten at the Shelby County Correctional Division by former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley, 30, and another officer on May 16 of 2015. Haley was a correctional officer with the Shelby County Department of Corrections at the time.
“I could be dead. As it is, my body still hurts from the beating. It’s going to hurt for life,” Sledge told the New York Post.
Sledge filed the lawsuit in 2016, alleging that two officers punched him in the face while searching for a prohibited cellphone. In the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for Western Tennessee, he said a third guard slammed him face-first into a sink.
DEATH OF TIRE NICHOLS: LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP ‘ANGERED’ OVER ALLEGED ASSAULT DURING TRAFFIC STOP
Former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley, 30, and another officer allegedly punched an inmate on May 16, 2015.
(MPD)
“I had some contraband with me and was trying to flush it down the toilet, but they didn’t follow protocol. Haley was the most vicious,” she said.
Sledge, who now lives in a Memphis rehab center, said he passed out and woke up in bed the next day with blood coming from his ear after officers took him to the prison medical infirmary.
“There was so much blood on my pillow. It damaged my right ear for life,” he said.
He noted that he received an apology from the prison warden, but heard nothing from Haley.
Haley denied in court documents allegations that he assaulted Sledge in prison, and the suit was dismissed in 2018 before its merits were assessed after Sledge failed to provide the court with requested information. A judge determined that she had not properly served a summons on one of the defendants. Sledge explained that he was in federal custody at the time and he could not complete the necessary paperwork on his own.
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)
In August 2020, Haley joined the Memphis Police Department.
“He got promoted, from prison officer to police officer,” Sledge said. “I didn’t believe my fucking eyes.”
Nichols, 29, was arrested by police on January 7 for alleged “reckless driving.” Officers said a “confrontation occurred” during the traffic stop, prompting Nichols to attempt to flee. The officers eventually caught up with him by car, got out of his vehicle and began beating him, leaving him complaining of difficulty breathing. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition and died on January 10. The Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released Nichols’ cause of death.
Haley and the other four Memphis police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired after an internal investigation found they had violated several department policies during the traffic stop, including policies on excessive use of force. , duty to intervene and duty to help.
Memphis police have released video showing a deadly traffic stop on January 7 that led to murder charges against five officers.
(Memphis Police Department)
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The five officers are being charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault and other charges.
In body camera footage, Nichols can be heard saying, “I didn’t do anything,” as officers removed him from his car during the traffic stop.
“Watch out, I’m going to be a cane to f—out of you,” an officer said during the incident.
Police Chief CJ Davis said in a statement Wednesday that other officers remain under investigation. The incident is also under review by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Justice.
