Five Memphis Police Department officers have been fired for using excessive force and violating other policies, the department said Friday.
Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were fired following an internal administrative review, the department said in a statement.
Along with the excessive use of force, the officers also violated the department’s duty to intervene and duty to provide assistance during the arrest of 29-year-old Tire Nicols, who died three days later on January 10.
The US Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into Nichols’ death following a January 7 traffic stop in which he complained of shortness of breath and later died at a hospital.
A portrait of Tire Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in Memphis.
(AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
Nichols and the five officers are black.
“This is the first step in achieving justice for Tire and his family,” attorneys for Nicols’s family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said in a joint statement. “They must also be held accountable for stealing this man’s life and his son of a father.” They said they would continue to “demand transparency and accountability.”
The fired officers were identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith.
(Memphis Police Department)
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis and Mayor Jim Strickland said the body camera footage showing the arrest will be released after Nichols’ family has had a chance to view it and the investigation is complete.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the force used in the arrest.
Nichols’ relatives accused officers of beating him into having a heart attack during the arrest, while police say he had a medical emergency.
After Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, there was a confrontation and he ran before he was arrested.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
