There are 255 article(s) tagged Tyre Nichols:
On Jan. 30, the City of Memphis released additional footage from the night Tyre Nichols was beaten. The video revealed the names of several officers who responded to the scene and were previously unknown.
The federal trial for four of the former police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols last year has been pushed back four months.
Those experts include current and former MPD officers who may speak to MPD’s use-of-force policies and training programs as well as how the actions of the officers the night of Nichols’ death allegedly violated those standards.
In the new footage, other MPD officers are heard describing those in the SCORPION unit as “adrenaline junkies” who are too “hands-on.” One officer is also heard saying, “It’ll be justified.”
An attorney for one of the former officers previously argued that federal prosecutors in the criminal case should not be allowed to have expert witnesses speak on two key points during the trial.
Demetrius Haley asked Thursday, Jan. 18, for the trial to be moved outside of the city due to excessive media coverage of the case, according to court documents filed electronically.
No attorneys for the officers have yet filed requests to have separate federal trials, so it’s unclear if this motion would apply to all of them if granted.
If Memphis has healed – or if it has at least scarred in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death – it is because of RowVaughn Wells, said J. Lawrence Turner, pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.
Five former Memphis Police Department officers received state and federal charges for their alleged roles in Tyre Nichols’ death. They were also named as defendants in a civil wrongful death suit Nichols’ family filed. Here’s where their cases stand.
“Memphis, we need to get it together here because we going in the wrong direction,” said RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, at the one-year anniversary vigil in Hickory Hill. “This is a beautiful city, I used to brag about it. I don’t brag about it anymore.”
The weather in Memphis on Jan. 7, 2023, was mild, with clear skies and temperatures in the 50s. But the events of that night created a storm that still hovers over the city.
There was a time when violence against suspects was talked about freely within the force, according to former and current MPD officers. Relatively recent evidence suggests that kind of culture may have continued within the department. What’s going on with MPD’s traffic stops? Depends on whom you ask.Related story:
Whether Memphis City Council’s ban on pretextual traffic stops is being followed, and what will happen in the future, remains unclear.
Laws passed in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death instituted new data collection policies for traffic stops; stipulated that only marked police cars make traffic stops, and mandated residents not get pulled over for low-level offenses like faulty brake lights. Former officer accused in Tyre Nichols’ death wants trial outside of MemphisRelated story:
Also happening: Cleotha Abston’s attorney requests Davidson County jurors for his trial, and the Shelby County Commission holds its first committee sessions of the year.
Bernice Donald was selected as the mediator in confidential discussions that could lead to a potential settlement or set the stage for trial if no resolution is reached, according to court documents.
Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis told the Memphis City Council in February 13 additional officers were facing internal police charges related to Nichols’ death, but she did not identify them.
Personnel records for Demetrius Haley, 30, reveal that he had multiple allegations of violating departmental policy at Shelby County Division of Corrections.
“The bottom line is we don’t like to separate trials because they cost more money, they take more time and you inconvenience more people,” said Hank Fradella, a professor at Arizona State University.
The state trial is set to take place after the federal case the former Memphis Police Department officers are also facing. Attorney for former officer accused of killing Tyre Nichols moves to block expert testimonyRelated story:
“I’m hoping that for Mr. Mills it was his conscience that allowed him to make this plea agreement and not because of his lawyers telling him it was the right thing to do,” RowVaughn Wells said.
Desmond Mills, who is represented by attorney Blake Ballin, plans to enter a change of plea during a hearing.
Federal prosecutors want to block the use of references to Tyre Nichols’ alleged “bad” character and conduct by defense counsel for the officers accused of beating him to death in pretrial motions and during trial.
Attorneys for the City of Memphis previously filed a motion to strike any mention of the former Atlanta “Red Dog” police unit in the $550 million lawsuit, arguing the information would be immaterial and scandalous.
Attorneys for a former officer and a former lieutenant of the Memphis Police Department argue the $550 million civil lawsuit should have been filed by Tyre Nichols’ young son.