Feds to probe Memphis PD in wake of Tyre Nichols’ police-custody death
The feds say they will conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department after the cop-custody death of Tyre Nichols last month.
The Justice Department will team up with a prominent police chiefs’ group for an “independent” review of the Tennessee department at the request of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
“To honor Tyre and help make sure this type of tragedy does not happen again, the City of Memphis has engaged the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)… and the International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) to conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department,” Strickland said in a release Friday.
“The independent, external review by these agencies will include an assessment of MPD’s Special Units and use of force policies.
“While we no doubt have a long way to go on the road to healing, hopefully throughout our actions citizens will see we are working to be better and that we are heading down the right path,” Strickland said.
The move comes as the city reels from the fatal beating of the 29-year-old FedEx worker Jan. 7, with bodycam footage showing the brutal attack.
Nichols is heard repeatedly calling for his mother as he was beaten, kicked, hit with a stun gun and pepper-sprayed by five Memphis cops.
The confrontation started when Nichols was pulled over in a traffic stop near his mother’s home. The cops claimed he was recklessly driving, but the city’s police chief later said there is no evidence he was doing anything wrong at the time.
He died from his injuries at a local hospital three days later.
The cops — Tadarrius Bean, 24; Demetrius Haley, 30; Emmitt Martin III, 30; Desmond Mills, Jr., 32, and Justin Smith, 28 — were fired after the incident and arrested.
They were each charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault, authorities said.
A sixth cop, Preston Hemphill, was later also fired after an internal investigation determined that he “violated multiple department policies” over the incident.
Three members of the Memphis Fire Department were also terminated for failing to adequately assess Nichols’ condition after arriving at the scene.
Among those attending Nichols’ funeral last week was Vice President Kamala Harris.
With Post wires
