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A sixth officer has been ‘relieved of duty’ by Memphis Police following the assault and death of Tyre Nichols.
Preston Hemphill has been suspended and is on administrative leave, though it is unclear how he was involved in the January 7 arrest.
Hemphill, who joined the force in 2018, could be facing further charges after his suspension.
It comes after District Attorney for Memphis has said they cannot rule out filing more charges against officers at the scene of Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating.
Preston Hemphill has been suspended and is on administrative leave, though it is currently unclear how he was involved in the January 7 arrest
Tyre Nichols is pictured in hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after he was pulled over for reckless driving by police in unmarked cars
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed charges against five officers in the death of Nichols, 29, last week before releasing horrifying bodycam footage of the assault.
Emmit Martin III, Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Desmond Mills were all seen beating and kicking the FedEx driver as he lay on the floor – after they pepper sprayed him in the face.
He can be heard crying out for his mother during the January 7 attack in gut-wrenching screams, with non of the officers checking on him after he was beaten with a baton.
Mulroy has now said that other officers who arrived on the scene and failed to take appropriate action to ensure the welfare of Nichols – and more charges may be filed.
Since the footage was released, there have been questions raised over those who were on the scene – but failed to intervene.
All five officers have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct, and official oppression.
Hemphill, who joined the force in 2018, could be facing further charges after his suspension
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed charges against five officers in the death of Nichols last week
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmit Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith (L-R) were all seen beating and kicking the FedEx driver as he lay on the floor
Two Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies are being investigated, and two Memphis Fire Department personnel have been relieved of their duty pending an investigation.
Speaking to CNN Mulroy said: ‘We’re going to need time to allow the investigation to go forward in further consideration of charges.
‘But I will say this, nothing we did last Thursday regarding the indictments precludes us from bringing other charges later.’
‘There are certain things that I can’t comment regarding an already ongoing investigation and a pending prosecution.
‘What I can say is this, is that we’re looking at everything. And nothing we did on Thursday, by bringing indictments against the five officers where principally involved, precludes any other action later on.’
The reasons for Hemphill’s suspension are currently unclear, with Memphis POlice releasing more information at a later stage
Crump, the attorney for Nichols’ family, pointed out that Nichols’ encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit’s mandate to address violent crime
The recordings show police savagely beating Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker, for three minutes while screaming profanities at him
He added that the same charges were brought against all of the officers because they ‘all acted together’ with their actions resulting in the death of Nichols.
Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean were released from Shelby County Jail shortly after their arrest according to court records.
Memphis Police Department has policies that includes a ‘duty to intervene’ if they see another officer ‘engaged in dangerous or criminal conduct or abuse of a subject.’
They are also required to start ‘de-escalation’ and setting forth rules for a ‘use of force continuum’.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed charges against five officers in the death of Nichols, 29, last week before releasing horrifying bodycam footage of the assault
Mulroy has now said that other officers who arrived on the scene and failed to take appropriate action to ensure the welfare of Nichols – and more charges may be filed
The footage shows that officers did not react responsibly and professionally to the situation but instead egged each other on, with one officer even heard saying: ‘I hope they stomp his ass.’
The footage released by the City of Memphis shows Nichols being pulled over by officers with their firearms drawn.
Memphis Police Director Cerelyn ‘CJ’ Davis has said that other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two deputies have been relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, said the family would ‘continue to seek justice,’ noting that several other officers failed to render aid, making them ‘just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows.’
The arrest was made by the so-called Scorpion unit, which has three teams of about 30 street officers who target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime.
The unit has since been disbanded.
Memphis Police Department has policies that includes a ‘duty to intervene’ if they see another officer ‘engaged in dangerous or criminal conduct or abuse of a subject’
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