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Memphis officers were worried about getting pepper spray off their own eyes first and even enjoyed a smoke while Tyre Nichols lay dying on the ground.
Shocking footage of Nichols’ encounter with police over a traffic stop shows the moment cops pepper sprayed the 29-year-old, with one officer appearing to accidentally pepper spray himself and another.
The officers cry out in pain, with one beating Nichols with a baton afterwards. A cop was later seen asking another officer to flush his eyes with water, while the assisting officer complained about losing his glasses in the initial traffic stop.
After the five officers beat and handcuffed Nichols, who was unable to sit up straight and lay slumped on the ground, one of the officers could be seen lighting a cigarette and smoking as paramedics arrived.
The videos surrounding Nichols death continue to be scrutinized as Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. issued a new internal investigation after suspending two deputies who stood around as Nichols was left writhing in pain.
One Memphis officer could be seen crying in pain as he needed to get his eyes washed after pepper spraying Tyre Nichols
At the scene of the arrest, where Nichols was ignored after being left writhing in pain, one of the officers could be seen smoking a cigarette while others just stood around
One of the videos released by Memphis Police shows the moment Nichols was pepper sprayed in the face after yelling for his mother.
The spraying officer appeared to get himself and another as they jumped away from the scene of the arrest, cursing and yelling in pain.
‘Ah s***,’ the officers could be heard saying as one wiped his face and walked back to Nichols, who was on his feet..
‘Watch out! I’m going to baton the f*** out of you,’ the officer said as he swings his baton while another sucker punches Nichols.
After all five officers appear at the scene, they can be heard saying: ”Ah, you motherf***** made me spray myself.’
Another video shows one of the Memphis officers pacing back and forth in pain as a fellow officer pours water into his eye to flush out the mace.
As he asks repeatedly for each of his eyes to be cleaned, the assistings officer says: ‘I can’t see jack s***. My glasses, when he was fighting me.’
The officer eventually finds his glasses and notes that he almost got pepper spray in his own eye.
One of the officers hit by their own pepper spray paced back and forth in pain as another poured water into his eyes. The assisting officer complained about losing his glasses, and when the group learned about Nichols’ arrest, one commented that they hope he was beaten
The arrest scene reveals officers standing around, with one smoking, as Tyre lay dying
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. has suspended two deputies who responded to the scene after reviewing the video that left him ‘sad and angry’
When he’s told that Nichols has been caught and detained by other officers, one of them comments: ‘I hope they stomp his a**. I hope they stomp his a**.’
At the arrest scene, a street camera captured the moment a group of officers beat Nichols, pinning him to the ground and arresting him.
The 29-year-old is then left writhing in agony as seven officers could be seen standing over him, with four fist-bumping each other and ignoring the dying man.
One of them eventually pulls out a cigarette and enjoys a smoke while conversing with his fellow officers before the paramedics arrive.
Sheriff Bonner has condemned the attack that left Nichols dead after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face.
‘I am a second-generation law enforcement officer, and I am troubled by what we all saw captured on video,’ Bonner said in a statement. ‘This horrible incident tarnished the badge that I wear, and many other good officers wear every day.
The sheriff has since suspended two deputies and ordered a new investigation into Tyre Nichols’ death after personally reviewing the sickening video.
Bonner said: ‘Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who arrived on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.
‘I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these deputies to determine what occurred and if any policies were violated,’ he added. ‘Both of these deputies have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of this administrative investigation.’
Nichols died in the hospital after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face
Nichols’ family attorney – Antonio Romanucci, told MSNBC that the two suspended deputies could face criminal charges like the five who were caught on camera beating the 29-year-old.
‘I will not be at all surprised when more criminal charges come against police officers, Romanucci said. ‘Am I surprised it’s taking this long?
I’ve been around long enough, I’ve had to wait six months, a year to two years or not at all for charges to come so the fact that at least the administrator part of it is coming.
‘I think we know what’s coming next. They’re going to be looked at criminally also,’ he added. ‘These officers who failed to render aid who did not intervene – they should be looked at administratively and also criminally.’
The five cops who were fired and charged over Nichols’ death are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.
Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith
Tyre Nichols’ stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police
They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
As the investigation continues over Nichols death, his stepfather Rodney Wells and his lawyer, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the video demonstrates that other first responders should be reprimanded.
Wells called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by after his stepson was savagely beaten, while Crump questioned by a white officer who was present at the beginning of Nichols’ traffic stop hasn’t been charged yet.
‘Everyone – the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn’t do anything – they’re just as guilty,’ Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.
‘Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,’ he added.
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