The president of a law enforcement group says he is “enraged” by the description of the alleged assault by Memphis police officers on Tire Nichols.
Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, made the comments ahead of the release Friday night of body camera video related to the traffic stop of Tire Nichols, which ended with the man being taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
“The fact that none of those officers, NONE of them, reportedly acted to stop this vicious attack, only compounds my horror, it is sickening,” Yoes said. “Men arrested and charged with this crime have rights, the presumption of innocence and the due process protections of anyone charged with a crime. But the bottom line here is that Tire Nichols, his family, and our entire country need to see justice. done, quickly and surely.”
Yoes said that based on what he’s heard about the incident, it doesn’t seem like legitimate police work.
BIDEN CALLS ON TIRE NICHOLS FAMILY HOURS BEFORE BODYCAM PUBLIC LAUNCH
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 now-deceased Tire Nichols.
(Memphis Police Department)
“The event being described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong,” Yoes said. “This is a criminal assault under the pretext of the law.”
“This criminal encounter should not and does not define the brave men and women of the Memphis Police Department or the more than 800,000 officers who are keeping our country and communities safe from the type of violence that occurred in this incident,” he added. .
Five former Memphis police officers have been fired and are being charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and other charges.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘VIOLENCE IS UNACCEPTABLE’ AMID PROTESTS EXPECTED OVER TIRE NICHOLS’ BODYCAM VIDEO
This photo, provided by the Nichols family, shows Tire Nichols, who was passionate about 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)
Memphis police said their officers pulled over Nichols on Jan. 7 for “reckless driving” and that “a confrontation occurred during the arrest,” which then led Nichols to attempt to run from the officers.
After catching up with Nichols, officers said another confrontation occurred that left Nichols complaining of shortness of breath.
“While trying to detain the suspect, another confrontation occurred; however, the suspect was ultimately apprehended,” MPD said. “Afterward, the suspect complained of having difficulty breathing, at which point he was called for an ambulance.”
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A portrait of Tire Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols died during a traffic stop with Memphis police on January 7. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
(AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)
Nichols was then transported to St. Francis Hospital and described as being in critical condition, but died on January 10, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
