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.

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.

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What’s going on with MPD’s traffic stops? Depends on whom you ask.

Whether Memphis City Council’s ban on pretextual traffic stops is being followed, and what will happen in the future, remains unclear.

The panel, which Daily Memphian CEO Eric Barnes will moderate, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Church of the Holy Communion, at 4656 Walnut Grove Rd.

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 3 Judge James Jones Jr. made the ruling in Joel Bowman’s case Monday, Jan. 8, after hearing from witnesses, including the victim of the burglary and Bowman’s former basketball coach.

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.

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.

Johntavius Griggs has been in custody at the Shelby County Jail for more than eight years on a first-degree murder charge in limbo with no clear path forward.

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.

Chelsey Duckett and her co-defendents have been indicted for alleged roles in the death of Gershun Freeman, who died in 2022 after an altercation with the officers at Shelby County Jail.

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. 

Related story:

Former officer accused in Tyre Nichols’ death wants trial outside of Memphis

The Tennessee Supreme Court is looking for a new justice after Justice Roger Page announced his retirement.

“We hear our citizens loud and clear,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young. “They want to see action. They want to see us strategizing and figuring out how we’re going to reduce the chaos, the hurt and the pain that we see in our community.”

The first woman to lead the state’s highest court will oversee negotiations between lawyers for Nicole Freeman and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., Chief Jailer Kirk Fields and Shelby County government. 

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee made the decision during a motion hearing Wednesday, Jan. 3, after Abston’s attorney filed a change-of-venue motion, specifically requesting a jury from Davidson County.

Macon Moore was chosen to lead Southaven’s police department in 2019 following a national search. 

Memphis ended the year 2023 with 397 homicides, breaking the city’s previous homicide record by more than 50 additional killings. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed a senior judge to fill in for Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd while she is suspended. 

The family of a teenager who died after a physical altercation at a Youth Villages facility discussed video footage of the encounter with members of the media Wednesday, Dec. 27.

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.

The governor called DeAndre Brown earlier this month and Brown said, “I just lost it — I mean, tears, snot, I couldn’t even talk. ... To have that be removed with a phone call was mind-blowing.” 

The most recent decertifications came during the December meeting of the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission. 

The logs were requested to verify that nine officers indicted for Freeman’s death are no longer working at the jail, also known simply as 201 Poplar. 

“The sign we unveil today will serve as a constant reminder of Officer Redd’s sacrifice in his unwavering commitment to the safety and well being of others,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said. 

Attorney Ben Crump disclosed Alegend Jones’ medical records during a press conference as he urged Youth Villages to release video of the event that led to her injuries.