Four of the five Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tire Nichols are released on a combined $1 million bail
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Four of the five Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tire Nichols have been released on a combined $1 million bail after being arrested yesterday.
Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Tadarrius Bean have now been released from the Shelby County Jail, according to court records.
A fifth office, Demetrius Haley, is still in jail on $350,000 bail, with all five charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and oppression. official.
Tire Nichols, 29, died in hospital on January 10, three days after a traffic stop that resulted in serious injuries.
Tire Nichols is shown at the hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 of cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after police pulled him over for reckless driving in cars without identification.
TOP FROM LEFT: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. BOTTOM RIGHT: Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mutlroy said Tire was left bloody and bruised after he was pepper-sprayed and struck just yards from his home.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted an independent investigation into the use of force by Memphis police.
All five were fired last Friday for rape by police, and city officials said they were notified on January 15.
It comes as Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said on CNN that video of the attack, due to be released today, is worse than Rodney King’s.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said the video of the attack on Nichol was the worst of her career.
Tire Nichols, 29, died in hospital on January 10, three days after a traffic stop that resulted in serious injuries.
She added: ‘I don’t think I’ve witnessed anything of that nature in my entire career. I was outraged. It was incomprehensible to me. It was that bad.
“We are going to see acts that defy humanity, a disregard for life, a duty of care, and a level of physical interaction that goes beyond what is required in law enforcement.
‘I’m sure the people who see it will feel what the family felt. And if you don’t, then you’re not a human being.
“I would say it’s about the same, if not worse, than the 1991 Rodney King beating. A groupthink mentality.
The police chief added that there is “no evidence” that Nichols was driving recklessly when he was pulled over, and officers were unable to substantiate claims that he was.
Five former Memphis police officers have been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the arrest and death of Tire Nichols.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump speaks at a news conference with the family of Tire Nichols on Thursday.
Davis said the officers were “excited” when they pulled him over, and that two of the officers were part of a special team to stop street crime.
She said the nature of the detention was “very aggressive” and it just “escalated from there.”
The police chief added that she heard Tire call out to his mother in the video, which will be released later today.
Nichols was reportedly able to escape officers after the initial stop, but was found again at another location, with Davis adding, “there was an amount of assault that was unexplained.”
However, Davies said he did not believe the incident was ‘racist’, adding that it ‘takes off the table that problems in law enforcement have to do with race’.
She continued: ‘It’s about human dignity, integrity, responsibility and the duty to protect. As this video will show, it doesn’t matter who is wearing the uniform.
People attend a candlelight vigil in memory of Tire Nichols at Tobey Skate Park on January 26 in Memphis.
Dozens of people peacefully paid tribute to the slain Fed-Ex worker, and police braced to deal with potential violence after footage of the incident was released.
Memphis police confirmed that they planned to release the video on Friday night to prevent any disruption to community members’ ‘peaceful protest’.
It comes as major US cities brace for possible violence following the release of the images, with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp calling in the National Guard in a state of emergency in Atlanta.
It has called in 1,000 soldiers to try to prevent the riots and chaos that took place in last week’s riots, and it could become even more extreme following the release of the graphic images.
The order said that a state of emergency was declared for “unlawful assembly, violence, manifest threats of violence, disturbance of the peace and tranquility of this state, and existing danger to persons and property.”
Protesters took to the streets of Atlanta after the death of 26-year-old activist Manuel Terna, who was shot to death by the Georgia State Patrol after he allegedly shot a state trooper trying to clear protesters from the area.
Authorities were trying to clear the construction site of a new $90 million public safety training center dubbed ‘Cop City’, which has faced fierce opposition from protesters.
Police departments in Austin, Los Angeles and Washington are preparing for possible riots after the images were released.
Austin police officers are monitoring the situation and “will be moving to tactical alert status beginning Friday morning.”
The New York police also confirmed that they are monitoring the situation in Memphis.