A Tennessee jury in a state trial found that three former Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers were not guilty on charges relating to the murder of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were acquitted by the jury on charges such as second degree murder, aggravated assault, and “two counts of aggravated kidnapping,” as well as two counts of official misconduct and official oppression, according to ABC24 News.
The verdict came after the jury deliberated for roughly nine hours, according to the outlet.
In January 2023, five former MPD officers; Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Bean, Haley, and Smith were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated kidnapping, and official misconduct, and official oppression.
Breitbart News previously reported that the officers were charged days after Nichols died on January 10. Nichols died days after being stopped for “reckless driving.” During the stop, several “confrontations” between Nichols and the police officers occurred, and Nichols was later transported to St. Francis Hospital.
Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died on January 10, three days after Memphis police officers stopped him for “reckless driving.”
A “confrontation occurred” between Nichols and the police officers when he was stopped around 8:30 p.m. on January 7, according to an initial statement released by authorities.
However, “another confrontation occurred,” while officers attempted to take Nichols into custody.
Breitbart News previously reported that Memphis officials released “four videos, three of which were from a police officer’s body camera and one was from a street pole camera and contains no audio.”
The video footage released showed the officers “ordering Nichols” to get out of his vehicle, and also showed them shouting expletives at Nichols.
The footage shows the officers pulling behind Nichols’ car, exiting their vehicle, and ordering Nichols to get out of it while shouting expletives at him.
“I didn’t do anything,” Nichols can be heard saying as the officers drag him out of his car. Nichols calmly asked the officers to “stop.”
The video footage also showed Nichols appearing to “resist the officers’ command to lie on the ground,” which led to “one officer to utilize pepper spray.”
Another video showed the so-called second altercation between Nichols and the officers, and the officers “can be seen punching Nichols multiple times.”
One of the videos shows the second “altercation” between Nichols and the officers that happened at a different intersection. The officers can be seen punching Nichols multiple times.
Then, one officer deployed pepper spray, which appeared to make contact with another officer, who stepped away from the altercation to regain sight.
When the pepper-sprayed officer recovers, he returns to Nichols and says, “Watch out, I’m a baton the f*** out you.”
“Give us your hands,” the officer shouts as Nichols appears to be bloodied from the punches.
While Bean, Haley, and Smith were found not guilty, Martin and Desmond “pleaded guilty to federal charges and testified at the federal trial in 2024,” according to ABC24 News.
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