Five Memphis police officers fired last week in connection with the beating death of a 29-year-old Black man were jailed on Thursday and each charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping, according to Shelby County Jail booking information.
Meanwhile, the detention center’s website said Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean were booked into custody as of midday. Each is being investigated in connection with the Jan. 10 death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being severely beaten following a traffic stop on Jan. 7.
The former officers each are charged with second degree murder, “aggravated assault — acting in concert,” two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and one count of official oppression, the website says.
The officers beat motorist Tyre Nichols for three minutes, treating him like “a human piñata” in a “savage” encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King, attorneys for the family said Monday.
Tyre Nichols Died Similarly To George Floyd
On top of that, the family of Tyre Nichols discovered that as he was being beaten, he cried out for his mother in a similar fashion to George Floyd.
Moreover, the Memphis police department announced the firing of the five officers on Jan. 20, saying they had used excessive force and failed to intervene and render aid, violating department policy.
Nichols’s mother described him as a “gentle soul” in an interview with The Post on Monday.
“Tyre was a beautiful person,” said RowVaughn Wells, his mother. “He loved to skateboard and take pictures. He liked to go see the sunset. And most of all, he loved his mother and he loved his son.
“Those five men — their families are heartbroken as well. They hurt a lot of people when they did this. I don’t understand why they had to do this to my son.”