Five cops charged with murder of dad 'beaten like piñata' in 'disgusting' arrest

26 January 2023 , 21:58

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Five men have been charged, all police officers, after the death of Tyre Nichols (pictured) (Image: Adrian Sainz/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Five police officers have been charged with murder in connection with the death of a dad beaten like a "human piñata."

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were charged with second-degree murder and are all in custody after the fatal arrest of Tyre Nichols.

The five men were also charged with aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, official oppression and aggravated assault.

FedEx driver Nichols, 29, was pulled over for a traffic stop by law enforcement on January 7 in Memphis, Tennessee, for what was initially reported as reckless driving.

Officials allege Nichols' injuries occurred after two altercations with police a short distance from each other.

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Five cops charged with murder of dad 'beaten like piñata' in 'disgusting' arrest

The five charged officers (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

District Attorney Steve Mulroy said pepper spray was deployed in the first altercation, and Nichols' fatal injuries occurred in the second. He died three days later.

"After some period of time, he was taken away by an ambulance," Mulroy said.

Of the five charged officers, Mulroy alleged: "While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible."

All of the officers were fired last week.

The preliminary results of an autopsy commissioner by Nichols' family attorneys said he died from "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating" and he suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure.

Desmond Mills (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Tyre's stepdad, Rodney Wells, has said that anything below a first-degree murder charge would be unacceptable. Under Tennesee law, second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years.

A video of the incident is due to be released at 6pm Eastern Time on Friday, midnight in the UK. Nichols' family and their attorneys have seen the video.

The head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, David B. Rausch, said he is "sickened" by what happened to Nichols.

Tadarrius Bean (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Emmitt Martin III (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

"In a word, it's absolutely appalling," he said.

He added: "What happened here does not at all reflect proper policing. This was wrong. This was criminal."

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Attorneys for the Nichols', Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said in a joint statement that Nichols lost his life in a "particularly disgusting manner."

They said: "The news today from Memphis officials that these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre.

Demetrius Haley (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Justin Smith (Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

"This young man lost his life in a particularly disgusting manner that points to the desperate need for change and reform to ensure this violence stops occurring during low-threat procedures, like in this case, a traffic stop.

"This tragedy meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death."

Mr Romanucci had said earlier: "He was a human piñata for those police officers. It was an unadulterated, unabashed, non-stop beating of this young boy for three minutes."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump (Gerald Herbert/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Reports indicate President Biden has been briefed about the case.

Nichols is said to have called repeatedly for his mother during the alleged beating. The incident occurred around 100 yards from her home.

Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis has called the incident "heinous, reckless, and inhumane."

She alleged in a statement post to YouTube: "Aside from being your chief of police, I am a citizen of this community, we share; I am a mother, I am a caring human being who wants the best for all of us; this is not just a professional failing.

RowVaugn Wells, whom Nichols is said to have called out for (Gerald Herbert/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

"This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual … and in the vein of transparency when the video is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves."

Davis had said she expects the Memphis community to react, and there are fears the city is set for unrest after the release of the footage.

She said: "I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, to demand actions and results, but we need to ensure our community is safe in this process.