Seven Additional Police Officers Facing Discipline After Tyre Nichols Beating Death

by Stacy M. Brown Seven more Memphis police officers are facing discipline in the aftermath of Tyre Nichols’ death, according to City Attorney Jessica Sink. The officers will be given an internal statement of charges, which will inform them of policy violations. Sink stated that a hearing and written decision will follow. CNN reported that the action is not criminal in nature, but Sink stated that the final round of charges will be filed this week. Next week, the agency will hold administrative hearings. Six officers have already been fired for their roles in the incident, five of whom have been charged criminally with second-degree murder. The announcement came during a meeting of the Memphis City Council on Feb. 7, where members were scheduled to discuss nearly a dozen public safety proposals and reforms, as well as question the city’s police and fire chiefs. It was the council’s first public hearing since the video of police beating Nichols was released by the city. January “has deeply affected all of us and continues to do so,” serving as a clarion call for action, councilwoman Rhonda Logan said. “Today our focus will be on peeling back the layers of public safety in our city and collaborating on legislation that moves us forward in an impactful and intelligent way,” she stated. According to an online agenda, the council’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee was set to take up 11 proposals in total, including an ordinance requiring police to only make traffic stops in marked cars, a presentation on a civilian law enforcement review board, and an ordinance establishing a procedure for an independent review of police training. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis and Fire Chief Gina Sweat both spoke at the hearing and discussed their future plans for their departments. The officials also answered questions from council members who were dissatisfied with the answers. The hearing occurred about a month after Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was beaten by Memphis police officers from the specialized SCORPION unit after a traffic stop near his family’s home. He was rushed to the hospital and died three days later. The city released body-camera and surveillance footage of officers repeatedly punching and kicking Nichols while his hands were restrained in late January. According to the video, they then left him without medical care for more than 20 minutes. According to a falsified police report, Nichols began fighting with them and grabbed one of their guns. His death has reignited calls for police reform and reignited a national debate about policing justice. Five officers involved in the beating, all of whom are Black, have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. A sixth officer was also fired, and a seventh was placed on leave. In addition, the Fire Department terminated two EMTs and a lieutenant for failing to provide emergency care. The specialized SCORPION unit was also disbanded less than two years after it was established.