Adrian Sainz/AP
In a stunning development, five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols following a traffic stop earlier this month.
All five officers were fired last week, the police department announced yesterday. “These officers were found to be directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr. Nichols,” police Chief C.J. Davis said. The announcement that the officers have been charged with murder comes ahead of the expected release of a video showing Nichols’ arrest and beating.
As we previously reported, Nichols’ family and attorneys—who have seen the footage of his death—say that Nichols was beaten for three minutes by officers who also used pepper spray and a stun gun. Nichols died in the hospital three days after the incident.
“He was a human piñata for those police officers,” Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for Nichols’ family, said. “It was unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating of this young boy for three minutes.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
