In a major development from Memphis, Tennessee, three former police officers have been found not guilty in the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after a violent arrest in January 2023.
The verdict came on Wednesday after a jury, believed to be all white, took 8.5 hours over two days to reach their decision. Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were cleared of all state charges, including second-degree murder.
What Happened to Tyre Nichols?
Nichols died three days after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers — all of them Black — following a traffic stop. According to the investigation, Nichols tried to run after being pulled from his car, pepper-sprayed, and hit with a Taser.
When officers caught up to him just steps from his home, he was punched, kicked, and hit with a baton while calling out for his mother. Footage from a nearby pole camera captured the beating, and the officers later laughed and talked casually as Nichols lay struggling.
Nichols later died from blunt force trauma, including brain injuries, according to the medical examiner.
Jury Acquits 3 Officers of All Charges
The three men were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. But they were acquitted on all counts.
After the verdict, the officers hugged their lawyers. Family members of the officers cried in court, with one relative saying, “Thank you, Jesus!”
Though acquitted in state court, all five officers still face sentencing in federal court after pleading guilty or being convicted of civil rights violations. Two officers — Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin — had earlier accepted plea deals in the state case and did not stand trial.
What the Prosecution Argued
Prosecutors claimed the officers used unnecessary, deadly force because they were angry and frustrated after Nichols ran away. They also said the officers failed in their duty to stop the violence and misled medical staff by not telling them that Nichols had been hit multiple times in the head.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman said:
“Nobody is going to call them monsters. It doesn’t take monsters to kill a man.”
Footage played in court revealed officers making statements like “beat that man” and “we hit him with so many pieces.”
What the Defense Said
Defense attorneys argued the officers were just doing their job and followed department policies. They said the most violent officer was Emmitt Martin, who was not on trial, and claimed Nichols was resisting arrest.
They also claimed that Bean and Smith were temporarily blinded by pepper spray and couldn’t see the more severe blows. One officer, Mills, admitted to hitting Nichols with a baton because he was angry after accidentally pepper-spraying himself.
Defense lawyers also suggested Nichols may have run because unauthorised debit and credit cards were found in his car. They hinted that drug use may have made him unusually strong. However, a toxicology report showed only alcohol and a small amount of marijuana in his system.
Mills admitted on the stand that Nichols never punched or kicked any officer, and that he regretted not stopping the assault.
National Impact and Police Reform
The killing of Tyre Nichols led to nationwide protests, renewed demands for police reform, and closer scrutiny of police practices in majority-Black cities like Memphis.
In December, the U.S. Justice Department announced that a 17-month investigation revealed the Memphis Police Department routinely used excessive force and discriminated against Black people.