And Danger for All: Police pursuits, even when necessary, inherently risky
“No pursuit is worth the loss of innocent life,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said.
There are 694 article(s) tagged Memphis Police Department:
“No pursuit is worth the loss of innocent life,” Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said.
A moment-by-moment look at the video reveals exactly how long Nichols went without medical attention after he was beaten by MPD officers, even after other officers, Memphis Fire Department EMTs and a Sheriff’s Deputy arrived.
G. Scott Morris says the future of Memphis will be built by young people taking up the challenge to redesign the fabric of what makes Memphis a great city.
The quick release of footage of the Tyre Nichols’ beating is an anomaly for MPD, which has not released video or other details in a series of officer-involved shootings since November.
Memphis Police Department footage shows more than 20 participants bursting into businesses in some recent burglaries.
Bishop Brandon Porter said the officer injured in Thursday’s shooting was also the director of security at his church. TBI confirms officer in critical condition after East Memphis shootingRelated story:
Hemphill is the sixth MPD officer to be fired for violating police policies in the Jan. 7 death of Tyre Nichols. State board suspends 2 of 3 fired EMTs over failure to help Tyre NicholsRelated story:
“There is both urgency and conviction here in what to do about the killing of Tyre Nichols, in what to do about police brutality, and it has national implications. We’re doing it. We must do it. And in memory of your gentle soul, Mr. Nichols, we must continue.”
“I was just trying to turn a negative into a positive. That’s my main goal today.”
Memphians, who already feel beleaguered by violent crime that at times seems out of control, must now come to grips with the fact that elements within the police department — however small — are partakers of criminal violence themselves.
It took five years — five years — for New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo to be fired after Eric Garner’s death in 2014. In Memphis, in 2023, it took 13 days for five officers to be fired for their roles in Tyre Nichols’ death.
The City of Memphis is preparing to release the full audio and video footage of Tyre Nichols’ fatal encounter with police once its administrative investigation is completed in the next few weeks.
An analysis of the personnel records of the five officers included mainly procedural violations, car accidents and accidental damage of department equipment for four of the officers.
The initial information released by police in the Tyre Nichols case differed significantly in some respects from what was shown on video footage released to the public last week.
A seventh Memphis Police officer under investigation and off the job is not identified. But police brass say he and officer Preston Hemphill have been relieved of duty since the day after Tyre Nichols was beaten by police in southeast Memphis.
The Memphis Police Department confirmed Monday, Jan. 30, that Officer Preston Hemphill has been relieved of duty and it plans “to have additional information to share ... once it becomes available.”
The Daily Memphian analyzed the earliest available footage of the Nichols traffic stop in detail, creating a moment-by-moment timeline of the Memphis Police Department officers’ increasingly aggressive responses, even as Nichols himself remains calm and compliant.
One protester said local activists will keep protesting until all the officers involved in the events that lead to Tyre Nichols’ death have been identified.
MPD released a tweet Saturday that said: “In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders and the uninvolved officers ... it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit.”
Protesters blocked the I-55 bridge for hours. Traffic was backed up as far as I-40 and Elvis Presley Boulevard. By 10 p.m., traffic was moving again on I-55. Some protesters returned to Martyrs Park.
These videos contain content that may be upsetting to sensitive viewers. In the footage, Nichols can been seen being restrained, beaten, Tasered and pepper sprayed by MPD officers.
“While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols and they are all responsible,” Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy said.
MPD’s Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis talked to The Daily Memphian about why they are releasing the video footage Friday evening, whether the National Guard will be brought in and how she thinks these latest events will affect recruiting. Earlier in the day, she also discussed the fire department’s role in Nichols’ death.
In a recorded statement released late Wednesday evening, Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis said other MPD officers, besides the five already fired last week for violating department policies in Tyre Nichols’ death, are under investigation.
Retired Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe, executive director of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, sent a letter to Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriff’s Association, and the letter was obtained by WVTF-TV Channel 5 in Nashville.